Also by this author: Moses and the Very Big Rescue, Deborah and the Very Big Battle, Deborah and the Very Big Battle, God's Very Colourful Creation, Esther and the Very Brave Plan, God's Very Colourful Creation, God's Very Colourful Creation
Series: Very Best Bible Stories
Published by Good Book Company on November 2020
Genres: Children's, Bible Stories
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Faithful and fun retelling of Moses and the exodus from Egypt, for children 2-5 years old, showing how God rescues his people from slavery.
In this faithful and innovative retelling of the classic Bible story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, children of 2-5 years old will discover what happened when Moses told Pharaoh to “Let my people go” and Pharaoh said, “No, no, no!”
Children will be invited to join in as they count down from 10 to zero to see how God rescues his people from slavery in Egypt with signs and wonders.
It teaches some interesting numerical skills to children and has bright, vivid, fun-filled illustrations by Jennifer Davison.
My three-year-old loves spaceships. Why is this relevant to a review of a book about Moses and the Very Big Rescue? Because counting down to blast-off is his absolute favorite. I would guess that he counts down better than he counts up. And because of that, Moses and the Very Big Rescue has become an absolute favorite as well.
Unlike most retellings of the Exodus story, where the Ten Plagues go in boring one through ten fashion, author Tim Thornborough writes it as a countdown to a launch. In this true story from the Bible, God counts down to the Very Big Rescue of his people.
The opening panels set up the story of the Israelites in slavery. God, through a burning bush, tells Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. And every time Pharaoh said “No,” God would bring a terrible disaster. And so the countdown begins…
The panels that follow truncate the Plague narrative and simplifies it, setting it up as a direct confrontation between God-through-Moses and Pharaoh. The illustrations from Jennifer Davison are simultaneously heart-breaking and captivating. The humor of Pharaoh crossly holding a candle to combat the plague of darkness is swiftly overtaken by the somber colors of the death of the firstborn.
Pharaoh says “Yes” and the people escape, only to be pursued to the Red Sea. Then ZERO. The parted waters collapse and God has rescued his people from Egypt. Just like the Deborah story, this story too ends in song as Moses (and Miriam, though she’s unnamed) praise God for his deliverance.
The backward counting nature gives the story its hook, setting it apart from the hundreds of other Exodus children’s story retellings. It gives the narrative a sense of building up to something, which is absolutely what it should be. In real life, the Exodus served as a whole reset to the Hebrew calendar. It was a new beginning. It was a launch into a new type of life. Moses and the Very Big Rescue is beautifully-illustrated, cleverly-worded, and all-around an absolute joy to read.
