*The Kingdom and the King Storybook Bible by Bob Hartman

The Kingdom and the King is a well-written, well-illustrated storybook Bible that looks at the kingship of Christ and His work on behalf of His people.

*The Kingdom and the King Storybook Bible by Bob Hartman, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri. The Good Book Co., 2025. 176 pages.

• Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10
• Recommended for: Ages 4-10 as a read-aloud (or independent read)

The King and the Kingdom = Emphasis

We are blessed to live in a day and age with beautiful, theologically-sound, winsome storybook Bibles. Each one offers distinctives. For The King and the Kingdom, one distinctive that jumps out right from the title is its editorial emphasis: this storybook Bible is about God as King and His Kingdom/people. Each story has been selected with that overall focus in mind, and the narratives reinforce this theme.

70 stories take us from Genesis through Revelation. Some are standard fare: Creation, Noah and the ark, David and Goliath, the birth of Christ. Others are less common, such as a “story” based on Isaiah’s prophecies of the coming king. The titles of each story indicate our theme: “Pictures of the Coming King” (for the Isaiah story), “The King Who Found a Book,” “Jesus, King of the Sabbath.”

All stories include a corresponding Bible passage that parents may read in addition to the story (or simply look up for themselves). Most stories are 2-3 pages, making them easily readable in one sitting to children.

Strengths of The King and the Kingdom as a Storybook Bible

Bob Hartman is a great storyteller. In a storybook Bible, part of the point is to tell stories, to tell the story in such a way that children not only understand it better but also fall in love with it. And Hartman’s text is well-written and engaging. He doesn’t elaborate or editorialize too much, except for little one-line reminders of the King and His kingdom.** Ages 6-10 will probably enjoy his text the most.

But Catalina Echeverri’s illustrations steal the show. We’ve enjoyed many of her Bible picture books before, and she’s pulled out all the stops for this beautiful storybook Bible. Each page is full-color and filled with people that look like they could really be from the Middle East, with symbols and objects that relate to the story, and with great use of color. The book is well-designed, with a bookmark and heavy-duty pages. It will hold up to years of use.

Considerations:

• This book includes many pictures of Jesus.
• **I have not read every page of this book, but from the parts I’ve flipped through and read, the theology looks sound.

*indicates a starred review, the best of the best in its field

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: We’ve reviewed lots of storybook Bibles on Redeemed Reader! Here are some of our other favorites: The Biggest Story, The Storyteller’s Bible, and The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible.
• Resource: Browse all our Bible-related resources here.
• Resource: Don’t want to buy a story Bible but use your own Bible and help your children understand the overall story? Check out our Bible Pilgrimage: A Step-by-Step Journey Through the Whole Story of the Bible.

You may purchase The Kingdom and the King Storybook Bible from Amazon.

We received a free copy of this book from the author/publisher in return for a fair, unbiased review.