Using both rhyme and illustrations, the story of Esther's ascension to the position of Queen of Persia and later rescuer of the Jewish people from the hand of Haman's edict, are described.
The focus of Just in Time Esther seems to be on the battle between Haman and Mordecai. In comparison, very little is said about Esther, King Xerxes or the Jews.
What I Like: I LOVE that, as in the other books in the Arch Books Bible Story Series, a letter to parents from the editor is included. Found at the end of the book, the letter expresses the importance of teaching the story of Esther to children. Here is an excerpt of the encouraging words:
"There will be times when our children must place their trust in God so that they might stand up for their beliefs. Consider how you might model this type of trust for your children to see."
How great is that? I love that the editor's heart is to uplift both the parent and the child!
What I Dislike: The book of Esther is a very complex book, full of twists and turns and complex personalities. In Just in Time Esther, the author attempts to capture it all. As a result I ended up feeling confused. Too much detailed information was given in the mere 14 pages. Even though I am very familiar with the story of Esther, I found myself re-reading Just in Time Esther three times just to understand what was going on in the story.
The illustrations are repetitive and provide little clarity to the plot. Unfortunately, the illustrations only added more confusion to the storyline.
Overall Rating: Ho-Hum
Age Appeal: 5-9 years.
Special Info: Just in Time Esther is part of the bestselling Arch Books Bible Story Series, which covers over 100 different themes from Genesis to Acts.
You may also be interested in other reviews on the Arch Book Series at the Christian Children's Book Review. Check out CCBR's reviews of: The Fruit of the Spirit, The Resurrection, Jesus Wakes the Little Girl, The Lost Coin, and Jesus Walks on the Water.
Learn more about the Arch Book Series on their website. Learn more about the author on her website. Learn more about the illustrator here.
Publisher Info: Concordia Publishing House, 1999; ISBN: 978-0-870-07558-5 ; Paperback $1.99
Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $1.99
2 comments:
Esther is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I'm bummed this re-telling didn't do it justice. Thanks for the review!
I love the story of Esther as well! I need to browse through past CCBR reviews and see if there are any others my daugher would enjoy.
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