A Book Review of The Promise: The Amazing Story of Our Long-Awaited Savior,Written by Jason Helopoulous and Illustrated by Rommel Ruiz

This article was first published in French at TPSG.

This week, I bring to you another book review, prepared with the help of my partner in crime, Evangeline Victoria Thornton. Yesterday, my sweet girl read me “The Promise: The Amazing Story of Our Long-Awaited Savior.” 

The Story

In this vibrantly illustrated story written for children ages 6-10, Helopoulous walks his readers through the epochs of redemptive history, beginning at creation, continuing with the fall, and directing us toward redemption, focusing on that first promise of a Savoir given in the garden. From there, he parades before us a collection of men of faith, prophets and priests, judges and kings, but none of them is able to save God’s people from their sins, as each is himself beset with sin. 

Hope pierces through the 400 years of silence with the advent of Jesus Christ, the one promised from ages past. He alone is the perfect king, priest, lawgiver, judge, warrior, prophet, and sacrifice. He alone could crush the head of the serpent. The book concludes with a challenge for hearts young and old: Do you know this promised one? Have you put your trust in him and become his friend?

The Story as Seen through a Child’s Eyes

Evangeline fits squarely into the age group this book speaks to, and she gave me some great feedback on it. 

What did you like most about the book?

• That it told me the whole story of the Bible.

• That it said what the prophets were good at. They all had something they were good at, but Jesus was good at all of their unique talents.

What is something else that stood out to you?

• That none of us is perfect. We may have a unique thing about us but none of us is perfect. We can’t save ourselves.

Would you recommend this book? Why?

• Yes, because it is good to have Christian books in your home and I specifically like the drawings.

What did you like about them?

• That they were cool. That they had details. For example, the drawing of Moses tells a part of his story that you can see, as the tablets with the 10 Commandments lay broken as his feet.

• Another example is the story of Joshua, where you can see Jericho in the distance.

Conclusion

Parents and children alike will enjoy this simple but profound story of the most important promise of the Scriptures. This is the first kids book I read illustrated by Rommel Ruiz, and I must agree with Evangeline: the drawings are so cool! And a bonus is that the last page of the book includes a list of key Bible passages to read as a family. So, beyond serving as a quick book to read in one sitting, The Promise could serve as a springboard to discussions a family can share around the table or during family devotions. Find it here.