The Story of God With Us, The Story of God Our King, and The Forgotten King

Three beautiful picture books emphasize the promise that God will one day dwell with us and that He will restore the glory of His people through the kingship of Jesus Christ.

The Story of God With Us by Kenneth Padgett and Shay Gregorie, illustrated by Aedan Peterson. Wolfbane Books, 2021.

The Story of God Our King by Kenneth Padgett and Shay Gregorie, illustrated by Aedan Peterson. Wolfbane Books, 2022.

The Forgotten King by Kenneth Padgett and Shay Gregorie, illustrated by Stephen Crotts. Wolfbane Books, 2022.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, Ages 8-10

Recommended For: Ages 8-10 and up

The Story of God With Us covers the span of redemptive history from creation to the tabernacle, the temple, and the Incarnation. The Forgotten King expresses the same theme in the form of an allegory with a very different, but equally beautiful style of illustration.

The Story of God Our King covers redemption history in a similar fashion, dwelling on themes of Christ’s kingship. God was pleased to shared His kingdom with Adam and Eve, but our first parents surrendered their honor (symbolized as crowns) when they listened to the serpent, and no other human king could rescue God’s people from their plight. The theme of kingship is shown through the pre-incarnate Christ (talking with Abraham), the tyranny of Pharaoh, the character of David, and the line of good and evil kings who followed up to the Incarnation.

I love the scene in the Upper Room with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Peterson fashions the tongues of fire to resemble the crowns that had been surrendered at the beginning, and it’s a wonderful symbol of the restoration of our hope and the expansion of Christ’s kingdom.

It’s wonderful to have picture books that express great themes of the whole story of the Bible, and Padgett and Gregorie share my interest in working with high-quality illustrators like Peterson and Crotts. Although the generous use of exclamation points is distracting and the inconsistent meter requires extra concentration to read aloud, all in all these are lovely additions to the Christian picture book market.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 5 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 4 out of 5

Read more about our ratings here.

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader:

• A Review: More books that teach theology in beautiful ways: Who is Jesus? The Darkest Night/The Brightest Day, and The Acrostic of Jesus
• A Review: Big Theology for Little Hearts a board book series from Crossway
• A Review: The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung

Where to buy:

• Wolfbane Books
• Westminster Kids