The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross Book and Activity Book Review
/Disclosure: I received two free copies of both “The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross" and "The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross - Colouring Book" from The Good Book Company. I kept one of each and gave a set away when this post was originally published in 2017. This post also contains affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy here if you want to know more about that.
Today, we're looking at the children's book, The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross and the accompanying activity book. I'm especially excited about this post because in addition to sharing a great new (to me) book, I get to actually mail a copy of each of these to one of you! So, make sure you get to the bottom of the post for a giveaway of these books (note: now closed, congrats Rachel C.!).
The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross – Carl Laferton (Author), Catalina Echeverri (Illustrator)
Published Date: February 23, 2016
Does it contain depictions of Jesus?: Yes
Number of Pages: 32 pages
The accompanying Activity Book:
Published Date: February 1, 2017
Does it contain depictions of Jesus?: Yes
Number of Pages: 32 pages
My kids and I really enjoyed this book. It is extremely creative and effective in it's use of storytelling, humor, and repetition. Especially my four year old (who loves songs) was already saying with me on our second reading, "Because of your sin, you can't come in." So, it was very easy after we finished reading it to have a discussion about sin and our need for Jesus's perfection.
It is a very simple re-telling of the story of creation, the curtain in the temple, and the cross but is done in a way that is very clear and covers many plot points in the one story of redemption.
The illustrations are also extremely well done. I especially liked the creative and artistic ways of displaying sin.
Gloria Furman's endorsement of this book sums up my feeling too, "I am so excited about this book! It is colorful, engaging, and creative, and that's just the icing on the cake! Our children receive invitations to participate in many different stories, stories of who they are, their purpose, and what God is like. The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross is a brilliant re-telling of the one story that rules all other stories. I cannot commend this book highly enough. Read it to your children, give it to your neighbors, and talk about what it means to live in light of the fact that the curtain has been torn."
I could write a lot more about the story itself and the illustrations, but I found this great video from the publishers of Trillia Newbell reading the book to you! So, watch this video and you can truly preview it before you buy it. They've removed the words from the pages, but you can see all the beautiful illustrations as Trillia reads it to you.
The activity book has taken the pages of the book and made them into coloring pages and other activities (things like dot to dots, word searches, shadow matching, mazes, and teaching how to draw). Some of the activities are a little better suited for kids who can read and some better for younger kids, but I think it would be fun and beneficial for kids 4 to 9.
We really liked both books and I think this would be a fun Easter gift!
If you want to add it to your wish list or grab for your kids, you can get the book and activity book on Amazon.
October 31 is Reformation Day! I've put together a round up of resources and activities for kids to celebrate this special day.