A good collection of animal parables which will create an elementary knowledge of Christ's parables.
Plot
This book retells and "expands" upon many of Christ's parables from the Bible using animals to portray the characters. A tabby cat plays the Good Samaritan of Luke 10 while the battered Israelite is a dog; a certain Mr. Freddie Fox is the unmerciful servant of Matthew 18; and King Leonard the Lion is the kind, loving king of Christ's kingdom parables.
Morality
These being Bible stories, one can expect the morality to be first-rate, and "Kingdom Parables" doesn't disappoint. The kindness of the Good Samaritan and the cruelty and selfishness of the Unmerciful Servant, the forgiveness of the Prodigal Son's father and the perseverance of the Persistent Widow are all accurately reproduced here.
Spiritual Content
Again, these are retellings of Biblical parables and the stories and characters often represent either situations or Biblical/spiritual beings. The "certain man" in Christ's parables recognized by Christians to be a type of God the Father is portrayed by King Leonard. The author, however, has Leonard represent that "certain man" of the parable and does not make him out to be God or to have all the attributes of God.
After each parable the actual Bible reference is written and the passage recorded for discussion between child and parent.
Violence
Mr. Freddie Fox shakes a poor man roughly by the shoulder; it is mentioned the a beaver falls off his roof and dies in the story of the Persistent Widow and that widow is threatened by a weasel and a wolf; a character of the story of the Good Samaritan is beaten up and left for dead.
Drug and Alcohol Content
None.
Sexual Content
None.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
None.
Conclusion
"Kingdom Parables" is an enjoyable story for children, with its bright illustrations and interesting renderings of Biblical parables, but no story can accurately portray the power of Christ's parables. While the book is fun and the stories are good, children should at least be acquainted with the true Biblical parables before reading or being read these.
This review is brought to you by Jeanne.
