Book Review: The Action Bible Devotional by Jeremy Jones and Illustrated by Sergio Cariello

4 out of 5 Stars
Author: Jeremy Jones
Illustrator: Sergio Cariello
Publisher: David C. Cook
Buy The Action Bible and the The Action Bible Devotional
Reading Level

I previously reviewed The Action Bible and gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars but it’s steadily grown on me. You can see some of my positive comments below.

I have two young kids and so I’m always on the look out for illustrated stories and Bibles. My oldest loves to read books and we supplement our family Bible reading time with another illustrated Bible. What I like about The Action Bible was that it rooted its narrative in Scripture. Each section had a subheading with “based on” and then the Scripture reference. That tells me the writer know that their book is a supplement to the Bible and not a replacement.

For me that’s huge because I want my kids to know the importance and primacy of the Word of God while also being able to enjoy illustrated Bible stories. I can start each section with “This is based off of this Bible story from Luke 1. Let’s look at that real quick” and then delve into the illustrated story it helps convey that truth. Also, the stories seemed more faithful to the Biblical narrative then some other Bible stories we have tried out. Again this conveys an important truth about the Word of God.

In the original review, I said I was unsure if I enjoyed the illustrations but as I said they’ve grown on me and my oldest daughter loves to read out of this storybook. If I were rating The Action Bible today I would give it four out of five stars. Excellent work and you’ll love it more if you appreciate classic comic book art.

Last, I received a copy of The Action Bible Devotional. It stands alone but could also work in tandem with the The Action Bible. The devotional takes 52 Bible stories and provides application and insight for everyday life. They are fun and build up. It’s also not an overwhelming devotional because it’s meant to be used once a week. I can envision using it to jump start our every day family worship because it gives great questions and activities. After each story you’ll have:

• key verse
• x-ray vision (short thought connecting with gospel story)
• Mission (three fun activities to make the story tangible)
• Debrief (questions)
• Mission Accomplished (Notes, etc)
• Share the Adventure (Ideas for involvement)
• Big Picture (Creative Page to write, draw, or add to devotional)

It’s not your typical devotional because it’s so interactive. Unless you’re just a complete bore there’s no way your kids won’t enjoy this. Have fun with it. Explore. Create. Apply. Celebrate the creativity of God within the pages of The Action Bible Devotional.

A free copy of this book was provided by David C. Cook. If you plan on purchasing The Action Bible Devotional, consider supporting Grace for Sinners by purchasing from Amazon.