Jesus Moments: Jonah

Danika Cooley

We want our kids to see that the Old Testament points to Christ. In her marvelous Jesus Moments series, Alison Mitchell helps children seek-and-find the Old Testament connection to Jesus in fun ways they'll be sure to remember!

Bob Hartman

What a clever series! By using symbols that children must find and explore, these books draw out significant links between Old Testament characters and Jesus. Perfect for parents and teachers who want to help their children understand God’s Big Story.

“Great Family Book!”

I love kids books, especially those that point to God. This one was especially a great retelling of Jonah, and fun to read.

The pictures were excellent, and a great visualization of the story. The artistry was fantastic. I love how they also incorporated an activity in the pictures.

I really appreciated the way the author pointed to Jesus through the story. Using little clues to indicate a point, it was later described as similarities and ways to remind us of Jesus through the story. It was powerful, a great way to engage the kids, and perfect for helping teach them to connect different stories.

Overall, a perfect book to read with my kids, and one I recommend. So cute and perfect for younger kids. One I know we’ll cherish reading.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, received from The Good Book Company. However, all thoughts and views reflected are strictly my own opinions.

“Brilliant”

You often find that Jonah is memorable in kids versions of story only in so much as he was swallowed by a fish. What I love about this one is it includes the whole of the story. Including Jonah’s indignation over God’s forgiveness for the people of Nineveh, which is a really important part of the story for us and our children to read and fully grasp how wide and high God’s forgiveness is, and how different he is from us. It’s a highly engaging book, which also points us to the gospel and has delightful illustrations! 👏

“A wonderful resource for helping children connect the OT to Jesus!”

So happy to see another addition to this great series! Teaching children that the whole panoply of Scripture culminates in Jesus Christ is essential and yet sadly lacking in many resources. The fact that this book uses an engaging way to get this point across is that much more fun for kids.

This book looks at the life of Jonah from his being on the boat sailing away from Ninevah, to being in the belly of the fish, to the days following God saving the Nineties. The last pages go back and explain the “Jesus moments” in more detail. I do wish more Scripture references were included - this continues to be my only “negative” of this series. With the previously books, I found a free downloadable bookmark on The Good Book’s website that includes this and I think this should be a page in the book. It’s exactly what I thought was missing. I have not seen one for Jonah yet, though. I hope they make it because I like to print a copy and add it to our book. I continue to hope that in any future books for this series that it’s included in the actual book as well.

The illustrations are bold and don’t shy away from the story while maintaining appropriateness for children. The text is bigger and easy to read for any independent reader. Unlike some of the books in this series, there is not a matching worksheet on the website for children to complete while reading or after reading the book. The homeschool mom in me loves this kind of stuff and I hope they come out with one for this book as well because it’s such a great way to practice recall and writing competency.

“Biblical parallels for kids!!”

This book is masterful at highlighting the biblical parallels between Jonah and Jesus, culminating in the ultimate message that Jesus is our Savior. This book uses the story of Jonah to spread the gospel. Great for older children. Planning to use it as a homeschooling tool to not only teach the story of Jonah and its gospel implications but also to teach narrative parallels and other literary devices!

“Points to Jesus”

I was very excited to see another book from this series coming out! This series shows how the OT stories point to Jesus. This story, Jonah, was probably my favorite illustrated one of the series with anchors hidden on pages of the story where there is a "Jesus Moment". This gets kids engaging with the story as they actively look for the anchors and find these parts of the story that point to the story of Jesus. An example is when Jonah lives in the belly of the big fish for three days. This foreshadows when Christ would be in the grave for three days. The book first tells the story and then goes back through pointing out where the anchors where and explains the "Jesus Moments".
It is important to realize that all of Scripture is about God. The OT stories are not disjointed from the rest of the Gospel. These books help show children how these stories fit into the bigger picture and point to the Gospel.

Thanks @thegoodbookcompanyusa for a copy of this book for my honest thoughts!

“Fun Way to Learn Bible Stories”

I received Jesus Moment: Jonah compliments of The Good Book Company in exchange for my honest review.

Jesus Moment: Jonah is the latest title in the Jesus Moments series by The Good Book Company. This picture book helps children see how this minor prophet points to Jesus. Anchors are hidden throughout the illustrations, and each marks a "Jesus Moment" — a point in the story where Jonah is like Jesus. I love that the series incorporates objects for children to find on the pages, as this is a fun way to keep young readers engaged.

This is one of my six year old's favorite features of these books. The book's second half reveals where the anchors were hidden and helps readers understand how this brief Old Testament account is theologically rich. Although this series is for children, I believe it will bless and encourage adult readers, too! We are so grateful to have Jesus Moment: Jonah in our home library, and I'm pleased to give it my highest recommendation!

“Jesus rescues and forgives!”

This is the best one from the Jesus Moments series. My qualms with the series are usually that they drop you into the middle of the story and often miss points that I think are so important to understanding the whole story. This one felt different though. This one told the entire story beautifully without missing any necessary details.

If you’re new to the Jesus Moments Series, it has a wonderful premise of seeing Jesus in the Old Testament. In this one you keep a lookout for anchors, and when you spot one, it means that “someone or something in the story is a little bit like Jesus.” You flip to the end of the book to find out the correlation. It keeps little ones engaged with the story while showing how the entire Bible is all about Jesus.

Kids will learn that: 1) God made everything and rules everything 2) “No one can run away from the Lord God.” 3) “The Lord God loves to rescue and forgive.”

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It is a faithful depiction of the story of Jonah that all ages will enjoy.

“An Exciting Story and Powerful Message”

This new installment in the Jesus Moments series covers the story of Jonah. Alison Mitchell's writing is engaging and conversational, and at the beginning, she explains to kids that if you look closely, you can see parallels to Jesus in different Old Testament stories. She encourages kids to look for anchors in the illustrations, because these each signal a "Jesus moment." The target audience of early-elementary-aged kids will enjoy this seek-and-find element.

Mitchell retells this familiar story in an engaging way. Instead of starting at the beginning, she picks up in the middle with an action scene, showing Jonah on the ship in the middle of the storm. Then, after Jonah is in the sea, she explains how all of this started. This storytelling choice got my attention. By changing the standard order of events, Mitchell starts the story off with a bang, and she also has more page count to focus on later events, since she summarized the set-up instead of dramatizing all of it.

The illustrations from Noah Warnes are dramatic and vivid, and they work with the text to tell the story, highlighting the intensity of the events and showing Jonah's resentful attitude and anger about God showing mercy to Nineveh. The story highlights God's compassion and mercy in contrast to Jonah's behavior, and multiple pages at the end explain the parallels between the story of Jonah and the story of Jesus. This section contrasts Jesus's faithfulness, goodness, and mercy to Jonah's failings, and clearly explains what it means to receive salvation in Jesus.

This is a great book for families and church leaders who want to introduce the story of Jonah to kids, or who want to help them arrive at a deeper understanding. This book stands out among other retellings of Jonah because of its thematic focus and unique storytelling style, and it is another great addition to this series.

I received a free copy from the publisher, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

“A wonderful addition to the series!”

Jesus Moments: Jonah is the fourth book in the Jesus Moments series and a delightful addition. I love that this series connects the Old and New Testaments and emphasizes the overarching narrative of Scripture, which points to Jesus.

One of my favorite features is the fun, interactive element of finding hidden symbols on the pages. These small details keep kids engaged and offer clues about which pages tie to Jesus.

Just as Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish, Jesus would spend three days in the tomb, only to rise again.

These connections in the story communicate a fresh perspective that reinforces the truth that Jesus is the fulfillment of the entire biblical narrative.

We love this series!

*I received a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.