I loved the meaning of this story (a retelling of Jesus' parables from the Bible) and the art style. An important message for kids that every one of us counts and are important.

Because the "protected PDF" sent could not be opened on my MacBookAir nor on my i-Pad, I was unable to read and review this book. Unfortunately, NetGalley requires that I assign a star rating to it in order to publish this "review". Having not read the book I do not want to give it either a low or a high rating, therefore, I have chosen the midpoint of 3 stars.

Who Counts: 100 sheep, 10 coins, and 2 sons is a wonderful retelling of Jesus parable of lost things and people and how they relate to the kingdom, and caring for one another. Amy-Jill Levine and Sandy Eisenberg Sassa have presented this in a lovely easy reading picture book from a modern point of view that is just so applicable to today, and easy to understand and relate to. In fact, I found certain things in this retelling opened my eyes and heart to some things in the parables I overlooked. The lost sheep are on a modern ranch and the shepherd is in full cowboy garb. The lost coins by a modern woman, and the lost sons is also set in current times. The pictures are beautifully rendered watercolors by Margaux Meganck. This is perfect for children, for gifts, for church and public libraries, as well as children's Bible classes. This review is in exchange for a chance to read the draftgalley for netgalley. Thank you.

Amy-Jill Levine, a professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School, and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, a rabbi and Director of Religion, Spirituality and the Arts Initiative at Bulter University and Christian Theological Seminary, give readers a fresh take on the familiar parables in Luke 15 in Who Counts? These stories of Jesus are retold in modern-day settings and with modern, diverse characters.

The book unfolds in three narratives. The first, “One Hundred Sheep,” features a ranch with a white, bearded shepherd, complete with plaid flannel, jeans, and cowboy boots. As he counts his flock, he notices that one is missing. Without hesitation, he searches until he finds the one missing sheep. “Ten Coins” features an African-American woman with dark, curly hair who misplaces one of her silver coins. She searches her house with a flashlight until she finds it. In the final narrative, “Two Sons,” the writers retell the familiar Parable of the Prodigal Son, or as Craddock calls it, “The Parable of the Forgiving Father.” Here, the father and sons are Latino.

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People familiar with the bible will be familiar with these stories, I think that's the point. I felt like they could have just stuck with the original ones. I probably wouldn't purchase something like this for my children or a friends's children. The christian concepts don't seem to come through quite as well to me.

The message of the stories is positive and would be good discussion starters. The text sounds more advanced so wouldn't be as accessible to very young children, although an adult could tell the stories simply as they look at the colorful illustrations. This picture book transports some of Jesus' parables to modern-day scenes.

Let me start by saying this book is a religious book. If you are not into religion this book may not be for you. The book is broken down into 3 parts and as it is a learning book it is also 3 of the parables from the bible. The Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son. The illustrations in this book will draw you and your kids in. The stories are written in a more modern language based towards the kids instead of the Bible's language. The stories are very captivating even for us adults. The book is well written as well. I enjoyed it as much as the kids.

No one reads the New Testament like Amy-Jill Levine. Her sensitivity to Jesus' Jewish context and her incisive reading of the parables is unmatched in New Testament scholarship. Best of all, her approach to this retelling of the three parables about "lost things" in Luke's Gospel is entirely appropriate for both young and older readers of the Bible. "Who Counts?" should be in every Christian educator's library as well as every parent or grandparent interested in diving deeper into God's Word with a Beloved young child.

I love this book so much! I love how it adds a counting element to the stories without watering down their spiritual messages. But most of all, I love how the retelling of the story of the "prodigal son" focuses on the stories of BOTH of the sons! I plan to buy this book as soon as possible and will probably gift it often as well!

What a great full color book for children of 3 great parables in the Word of God. This book covers the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son (prodigal son). Somethings missing in each of these stories and sought out until found! My girls really enjoyed this one. The pictures and the words flow great and it’s beautifully put together. The illustrator did a great job and we enjoyed her work on this. We really enjoyed the facial expressions throughout and the amazing hair in the lost coin story.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This is a great way for young children to learn to count. Enjoyed this while reading it to my grandchild.

This is a book which would appeal to younger children. It has lovely illustrations and retells the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son, but with modern day pictures and diverse characters. It would be a good book for parents to read to young children and explain to them about the parables of Jesus and how they would apply to people today.

This illustrated storybook retells the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son found in the Bible. The number-counting in the first two stories especially would be fun and educational for children. Additionally, these stories have shorter sentences on most pages and the messages of these stories are simple. The story of the prodigal son involves less counting (there are only two sons), and there are more words and a less obvious message. The final page of the book is a note to parents and teachers that explains the purpose of this book, the creators' interpretation of these parables as presented in the book, and a short history of what they consider to be misinterpretations of the parables and why. For these authors, "The main message is about counting, searching for what is missing, and celebrating becoming whole again." This is a big-picture understanding of these parables as the original audience would have understood them. The authors also encourage those reading to ask "where am I in the story?" The note explains the bible background so that even non-religious readers can understand.

Entertaining and fun to read with kids. Great illistrations. Great use of three bible stories everyone knows. Kids will enjoy these stories. Would recommend this book.

This is a very good read for primary children. It teachers them that everyone is special and important by using parables from the Bible. The stories are well written any the illustrations are wonderlfully drawn. Even preschool children can enjoy this book as long as an adult can explain the lesson in each story. I highly recommend this book to any family as is teaches joy and inspiration to children.

This retells the three parables of Luke 15 - the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son – in modernized settings and language modern kids can understand. The book is set up in such a way as to draw attention to the literary devices inherent in the original context and language to help modern readers better get the big point of these parables.

It is sometimes hard to put parables directed at a culture a few millennia removed from today into words that adults can understand, let alone kids, but this does a great job of bridging the gaps between today's culture and those of Jesus' time. I studied these passages in some depth during my Bible minor classes and know that the notes at the end of the book are accurate for what most Bible scholars agree is the main point of this passage. I like the very multicultural cast of characters and the attractive illustration style. A great resource for Christian families, Christian schools, or Sunday schools reading or studying these parables.

This book has three very simple retellings of parables found in the Bible that all have the central theme of seeking the lost and celebrating the found. This would be a great resource for children’s Bible classes or even for younger students who are learning about theme.

WHO COUNTS is a cute hardcover children's book. When I saw it offered on Netgalley, I thought it'd be a fun book to review. It was a devil to open though as my computer was not compatible with my computer with the weird form it was sent in, so my husband had to open it and put it in a document for me to be able to read and review.

There are some inaccuracies. The message in the parables wasn't that the woman was to blame for losing her coin as was implied in the story of the Ten Coins, and the father did invite the older son to the celebration when the younger son returned, so that was inaccurate. But all in all they were well told, beautifully illustrated, and should appeal to people of all nationalities as they are all represented in this book. "I was provided a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own."

Who Counts? 100 Sheep, 10 Coins, and 2 Sons by Amy-Jill Levine, and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is a modern version of three of the most commonly told parables of Jesus: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son. The up-to-date story and the illustrations makes the story real for today's children. When the others ask why did one sheep count or one coin count, they ask the question many have thought. The idea that everyone counts is simple but very important, especially in this day and age. The story of the Prodigal Son shows that even thought the younger son made a mistake, his father still loved him. It also deals with the issue of taking someone for granted, which he did with the older son. These messages, although taken from the bible do not stress Christianity, but simple valuable lessons for living in this world. If the parent wanted to then talk about the Christian message, they could add that on their own. The note at the end for adults is a wonderful addition. It explains why the authors wrote the stories the way they did and why they did not mention Jesus or God in the stories. I love that anyone could use these stories no matter what their religious belief. I highly recommend this book for families with young children .

This children's book is beautifully illustrated. It is written to encourage children that each one of us counts, each one of us is equally important in our Father's eyes. It is a retelling of three of the most popular parables that Jesus used in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15:
1. The Parable of the Lost Sheep
2. The Parable of the Lost Coin
3. The Parable of the Prodigal Son

The only problem I have with it is that God is not mentioned anywhere in the actual text. It would be nice to include a reminder or summary after each story that points to God's love for us. The writers leave it up to the parents to convey this message to their children. Also, the third Parable is not completely Biblically accurate. Overall this book is a good concept, but I would advise parents to familiarize themselves with the three parables and be prepared to explain the Biblical relevance of each one to their children.

I received this as a free ARC from Westminster John Knox Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.