Jesus A to Z

Jesus A to Z, by Yvonne Riley, uses the alphabet to teach children (and their parents) all about Jesus. The story progresses chronological in time and alphabet: Jesus is the Almighty God who was in the Beginning, the Creator of the world and so forth. Each letter offers a detailed description -- usually 5 to 10 full sentences -- and ends with a verse that emphasizes the given point. Most of the memory verses are provided in the New Living Translation (NLT) or the New International Version (NIV).
The book offers one full-page illustration for each page of text. These illustrations, by David Riley, the author's husband, combine photographs with graphic design. Each showcases the featured letter, large and colorful, with diverse children acting out the lesson from that page. Interesting patterns and textiles accompany the text page.
What I Like: The text is surprising logical and complete. I loved it! It encompasses all the usual highlights, but also teaches things parents can sometimes forget to mention, such as the second coming. My daughter (5 years old) really likes this book. I especially like the inclusion of applications within the text. This makes it personal to the readers.
What I Dislike: I'm not a huge fan of the illustrations; they're just not my style, but both my kids really like them.
Overall Rating: Excellent.
Age Appeal: 4-8
Publisher Info: Moody Publishers, 2004; ISBN: 0802429459; Hardback; $9.99
Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $7.99!
OR Buy it at Amazon.com for $9.99.
Special Info: A CD entitled "Joyful Noise" accompanies the book. It includes five songs sung by a talented children's choral group and an audio track of the book's text read by Crystal Lewis.
See our review of Names of Our Father, also by this author.