Also by this author: The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross, The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross Board Book, The Christmas Promise Sunday School Lessons: A Three-Session Curriculum With a Family Service Outline, God’s Big Promises Bible Storybook, God’s Big Promises: The First Christmas: Sticker and Activity Book, God’s Big Promises: Advent Calendar and Family Devotions, Christmas Uncut: What Really Happened and Why It Really Matters, God’s Big Promises Christmas Sticker and Activity Book, God's Big Promises: Easter for Little Ones, God's Big Promises Easter Sticker and Activity Book, Jesus and the Very Big Surprise: A True Story about Jesus, His Return, and How to Be Ready, Jesus and the Lions' Den: A True Story about How Daniel Points Us to Jesus, Goodbye to Goodbyes: A True Story About Jesus, Lazarus, and an Empty Tomb, The Friend Who Forgives: A True Story About How Peter Failed and Jesus Forgave, God's Very Good Idea: A True Story of God's Delightfully Different Family, The Storm That Stopped, The One O'Clock Miracle, The Christmas Promise, The Prisoners, the Earthquake, and the Midnight Song
Series: Tales That Tell the Truth #15
Published by Good Book Company on June 1, 2024
Genres: Children's, Bible Stories
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Teach children that genuine faith in Jesus leads to a transformed life.
Zacchaeus was very short, very rich, and not very happy, but his encounter with Jesus changed everything.
In response to the grace Jesus showed him, Zacchaeus was transformed from the inside out. He repented, treasured Jesus above everything else, and showed kindness and generosity to others like never before.
Use this story to teach children that only following Jesus will make them truly happy and fulfilled, and that genuine repentance and faith is demonstrated by loving others.
This new installment in the Tales that Tell the Truth series retells the story of Zacchaeus. Although many of the other books in this series focus on lesser-known Bible stories that rarely appear in children’s books, this one covers an extremely popular, familiar narrative while still feeling distinctive. Even though there are lots of different children’s books about Zacchaeus, this one stands out because of the especially kid-friendly language, the fun illustrations from Catalina Echeverri, and the clear gospel message.
In this adaptation of the story, Carl Laferton explains that Zacchaeus wanted to be rich more than he wanted to be kind to others or obey God, but that after he met Jesus and experienced Jesus’s grace and friendship, he had a change of heart and began behaving differently. The book highlights Zacchaeus’s eventual justice and generosity to the people he had previously defrauded as a tax collector, shows that this kind of change is part of Jesus’s mission, and then summarizes Jesus’s sacrificial death and resurrection, and what this means for us today. The book ends by teaching kids that even though we all act like Zacchaeus sometimes, Jesus offers us salvation and empowers us to be kind to others.
The Man in the Tree and the Brand New Start: A True Story about Zacchaeus and the Difference Knowing Jesus Makes will appeal to fans of this series, and to anyone who is looking for a good picture book about Zacchaeus. This will be great for families, churches, and Christian schools, and parents and teachers can also download free supplemental resources and activities from the publisher’s website. This book will work well as a read-aloud with individual children and with groups, and it is a great way for adults to share important truths with kids.