Product Description

The stories from the Gospels about the life of Jesus are among the cornerstones of Western culture. Today, when religion is both omnipresent and strangely absent from children's lives, this version of the Gospels is presented to readers in its cultural context and as a narrative of interest both for the compelling quality of the life it reveals as well as for the deep, resonant role it has played for all who live in the Christian and post-Christian world. Celia Barker Lottridge brings her award-winning gifts of storytelling to The Life of Jesus. Jesus's life and his teachings and the parables are so freshly told that they seem new again. Their power shines throughout the book. Linda Wolfsgruber's rich illustrations are influenced by her childhood in the deeply Catholic Sud Tyrol (today Alto Adige), and her acquaintance with the iconographic roots of the stories has allowed her to bring historical significance into the illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1176031 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8–In this exceptional collection, a renowned storyteller has compiled key episodes from the life and teachings of Jesus, including citations to help readers locate the corresponding passages in the New Testament. Beginning with "Elizabeth and Mary," each story is retold in three or four pages of clear, concise prose that is meant to be read aloud. In the foreword, Lottridge states that she has tried to clarify these ancient stories for today's audiences by including some cultural context and descriptive details to make Jesus's world more vivid and immediate. Faithfully chronicling the major events of his life and death, as well as some of the parables he told, the collection concludes with "The Risen Jesus." Each selection is enhanced by dramatic and atmospheric, mixed-media illustrations that are executed in warm earth tones. Each painting contains subtle details that illuminate the underlying themes of the particular story. This is a fine companion to Tomie DePaola's Book of Bible Stories (Putnam, 1990) or Gary D. Schmidt's The Blessing of the Lord (Eerdmans, 1997), which recount Bible stories from both the Old and New Testaments.–Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA
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From Booklist
Gr. 5-7. Lottridge weaves together incidents from the four gospels, making fuller stories about the life of Jesus. For instance, she combines various elements from the Nativity stories of Matthew and Luke to offer a three-and-a-half-page story about Jesus' birth. The following chapter, about the arrival of the Magi, is taken from Matthew, the only gospel where this story appears. There's no accompanying commentary. The stories are well told, although at times--especially when a chapter deals with one of the parables--some explanation would have been helpful. The pen-and-ink artwork, with occasional collage elements, has an interesting freshness. Often set against orange or yellow backgrounds, the illustrations honor their ancient roots in depictions of dress and architecture, but still manage to have a modern feel. Ilene Cooper
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