Also by this author: The Prisoners, the Earthquake, and the Midnight Song Board Book: A True Story about How God Uses People to Save People, My Epic, Doodletastic Bible Storybook: 60 Bible Stories to Read, Color, and Draw, The Prisoners, the Earthquake, and the Midnight Song Coloring 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 Garden, the Curtain and the Cross, The Storm That Stopped, The One O'Clock Miracle, The Christmas Promise, The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross Board Book
Series: Tales That Tell The Truth #10
on June 1, 2020
Genres: Children's, Bible Stories
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Teach children about Jesus’ ongoing power to save through the proclamation of the gospel and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Based on Acts 16, this is a fun and compelling retelling of how a Philippian jailer and his family learned the wonderful truth about Jesus Christ. The ascended Jesus’ ongoing power to save, and the unstoppable spread of the gospel, are imaginatively and powerfully brought to life by Bob Hartman. Bob is a compelling storyteller and author of the Lion Storyteller Bible, which has sold over 130,000 copies in the UK and has been translated into 11 languages, and of YouVersion's Bible App for Kids.
Children will discover...- How God works to save sinners through the power of Jesus and the presence of his Spirit.- The powerful witness of Paul and Silas, who sang while they were held captive and refused to break free when an earthquake destroyed the prison they were trapped in.- How God works through his followers.- How to imagine the sights and sounds of a Bible story.
Ideal for children aged 3-6.
Children’s books are everywhere.
Children’s retellings of Bible stories are everywhere.
And the quality…well…in my experience, the quality ranges.
How are we supposed to sort through it all?
Early on, with my kids, I developed some guidelines for choosing a children’s Bible storybook.
- Is the story biblically accurate?
- Is the story relationally applicable?
- Does the story’s language/vocabulary fit the intended audience?
- Are the illustrations diverse?
And whenever somebody asks me for a practical example of those four guidelines, I inevitably point them toward Tales that Tell the Truth. There are currently ten books in the series along with a variety of supplemental materials like coloring books that accompany each volume. The series has a variety of authors with illustrator Catalina Echeverri providing a cohesive stylistic design.
The Prisoners, The Earthquake, and the Midnight Song | Tales That Tell The Truth
This tenth installment of Tales that Tell the Truth continues to delight.
The Prisoners, the Earthquake, and the Midnight Song tells the story of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16. Paul and Silas have been put in prison for preaching Jesus. God supernaturally sends an earthquake to set them free. But it’s not about escaping. It’s about sharing the Gospel message.
Author Bob Hartman gives readers—and listeners—a full-body narrative experience. I dare you to read this without rankling chains, rumbling chairs, and shouting praises. Echeverri illustrates the story well, bringing the feeling of motion to a static image. It’s an experience.
Unlike many Bible stories, Tales that Tell the Truth never holds back. You get one panel where the Philippian jailer has a sword in his hand, a child’s drawing of his family at his side, tears flowing from his eyes as he prepares to kill himself. It’s a deep, dark, and poignant set of panels that clearly illustrates how serious the earthquake is.
From the darkness of the jail to the brightness of the jailer’s table, The Prisoners, the Earthquake, and the Midnight Song demonstrates the beauty of the Gospel to reach dark places. It shows us that we may have consequences for sharing the Gospel, but that we are still called to share that message wherever we are. The story relies on contrasts to get its point across. There are adjacent panels that show Paul and Silas preaching in freedom and then in chains. You see them singing in the jail, then at the jailer’s house. You see the Paul and Silas sharing the Gospel and then the final panel demonstrates children sharing the Gospel. It’s a beautiful reminder that we are connected to this story, not just an ancient story but one we participate in today.
