Series: Their Side of the Story
Published by B&H Publishing on June 2015
Genres: Children's, Bible Stories
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In this amusing addition to the lighthearted series, Jesus' Triumphal Entry is told through the eyes of the stubborn donkey that didn't want anyone to ride on his back...not even Jesus.
Kids don’t like to be told what to do. That’s just a rule of life. That independence can be a good thing sometimes, but sometimes independence turns into selfishness. In The Donkey and Jesus, young readers will learn about living a life of service and even doing the littlest things excellently for God.
Have You Heard Their Side of the Story? is a lighthearted series featuring biblical accounts as seen through the eyes of an animal participant. In the case of The Donkey and Jesus, that animal participant is the young never-before-ridden donkey that Jesus requests for his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. The story introduces a stubborn donkey who doesn’t want to serve anyone but himself. When he’s asked to carry Jesus, he tries to be rebellious, but God soon sets him straight and says that he created Donkey to serve.
It’s a wonderful story of the importance of the small things as Donkey learns that his simple act of service was actually prophesied in Scripture and is actually a big deal. This is a lesson us big kids could learn too. We tend to think that if our church isn’t the biggest or we’re not the greatest or our business isn’t the best, then we aren’t really accomplishing anything. But this book reminds us that excellence in the ordinary is what God has created us for and that simple acts of service go a long way.
As with the previous books, the illustrations are wonderful and the book’s vocabulary is around a 2nd grade reading level, making this a read-by-yourself book for older kids and a read-to-me book by younger kids. The Parent Connection at the end of the book continues to be great and could even be adapted into a Sunday School curriculum for young children.
The Bible verse for this book is Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men.” That’s such a needed message to young kids and I’m glad to see a book that creatively addresses that theme.
Other Books in the Series