We thought this was a nice book with illustrations. But, I will say it just isn't written for us or our family.

A beautiful illustration of God's love to His people, those who love and obey Him, The King banished the dragon, but bad as it is, dragon will find a way to smear people's trust in God, so He had to send His only Son to defeat the dragon. The story is easier to digest for young kids to understand who God is and what He does, the measure of His love to this world.

Don’t be fooled by the cover – while this may seem like your typical damsel in distress, prince fighting a dragon fairytale, and while that is the mechanism and metaphor through which this story is told, this little beauty is all about God’s victory over evil, and what that means for us all. This one is perfect for th little ones age 3-5.

I love the cover of this book but that is all. I went into this book completely blind not realizing you need just the basics of Christian knowledge to the creation story. God inventing earth, then the people taking advantage of it by eating from the tree, and then his son is born to save everybody. His son’s killed by the dragon put in a cave to be resurrected. You know the story. Mostly I consider this a shame because I love the artwork. I was annoyed not knowing this was religious in nature. It just seems sneaky because at no point in time do, they acknowledge anything religious until the last page where there is more information about the Bible.

The King and the Dragon by James Shrimpton is a new favorite of mine! The King and the Dragon is a Christian book for Children ages 3-5, teaching children through imagery, the Story of Jesus and how we are Victorious over the Devil. Using the image of a King, a Knight, and a Dragon to represent the Fall of Man, The King and the Dragon takes children on a journey of when Sin entered the world and God’s Unique Plan to rescue humanity. The Story also explains how the Dragon (The Devil) is a liar. There is also information in the back of the book that explains The King and the Dragon and the Bible references that inspired the book.

I loved every word and picture that is in The King and the Dragon! I appreciated how the book depicted the ongoing struggle between Satan and Humanity. I loved how it emphasized that regardless of what happens to us here on Earth, because The Knight fought Dragon we are victorious. I love how it talked about how we will be joining The Knight (Jesus) one day. The words of James Shrimpton and the illustrations by Helena Pérez Garcia complement The King and the Dragon well and make it a fun and engaging read. I believe the information and Bible references in the back of the book could lead to some awesome discussions regardless of what setting you read The King and the Dragon in. I highly recommend The King and the Dragon! I believe The King and the Dragon would be a great book to read in a Christian Education setting or to implement in a Family Devotion.

Have you read The King and the Dragon? What did the children in your family think of the book?

I would like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My review is also on Goodreads and my blog, Leslie's Library Escape.

How do we tell the story of the Bible to children? How can we explain the great truths of the Bible that they can easily understand? In this delightful and colorful book about a good king and an evil dragon, author James Shrimpton writes a compelling story that should captivate the hearts and minds of little children. Right from the start, adult readers will be able to grasp quickly the story of creation, the Eden temptation, the downfall of Adam and Eve, the repeated attempts by God to send help, and finally, the person of Jesus Christ. With pictures that illuminate the flow of the story, children will be able to understand the simple plot between good and evil, and more importantly, God and everything else. Helena Perez Garcia illustrates the story well with lots of images that depict not just the storyline, but some glimpses of biblical images. We see the fruit of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. We see the dark clouds of temptation. We see how the evil dragon uses trickery and deception to trip the world into sin. The debilitating conditions of the dry trees and dull-colored pages show the world in despair. The candlelight shows a small glimmer of hope in Jesus. Finally, the brave knight manages to slay the dragon, just like in the Medieval stories of old. This slaying is essentially about the resurrection of Christ that declares the victory of God over death, evil, and sin.

The strength of this book lies very much in the simplicity of the story and the captivating colours of illustration. In fact, the colours themselves tell the story of the contrast with and without God. In fact, just by looking at the pictures, one could allow children to interact by asking questions. This book might be brief but the opportunities for discussion are endless. The words are there to guide the general flow of the story, but the pictures illuminate the message in greater depth. This is a good book to help introduce young readers to the story of the Bible. Even though the messages have been abridged, they should be seen more as an introductory text to stir up interest in the Bible.

Kudos to the author and illustrator for helping reach children with a simple message of the Bible and the gospel message. I warmly recommend this book for Sunday School, parents of young children, and anyone trying to teach the Bible to kids.

James W. Shrimpton (MSc, University of Dundee) is a chartered accountant and hymn writer. He lives in Aberdeen, Scotland, with his wife and children, where they are members of Trinity Church Aberdeen.
Helena Perez Garcia is a London-based illustrator who specializes in portraits, editorial illustration, and book illustration. Her work is inspired by art, literature, and films, and has been featured by publishing houses, publications, and newspapers, such as Penguin Random House and BuzzFeed.

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Crossway Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

This book really touched my soul in a special way. It combines teaching kids about attributes of God while combining fantasy elements. For a person who reads mostly fantasy novels, this just makes me really happy. The illustrations were beautiful and engaging. I will be glad to get this for my library!!

I think Shrimpton did a great job summarizing the Gospel for young children. My own children (1 thru almost 8) enjoy stories with dragons, knights, and victory. The beautiful illustrations will also help captivate their imaginations. I think this book will appeal to them and plan on purchasing a copy. I love finding books which help cement biblical truths.

My only complaints involve the ebook version. The full page spreads get broken up into separate pages, so readers can only see one half at a time. The words also do not line up with the correct illustrations. The photos I saw online of the physical version do not have these flaws. Overall, I look forward to seeing the finished product.

We often tell young kids Bible stories without emphasizing that the whole Bible is ONE story. This book highlights that story. "Our children need to know that the Bible fits together, and how they fit into the story that God is writing" (location 52).

Using beautiful illustrations and rhyming text, the author uses the imagery of a knight and a dragon to depict the battle between God and Satan and the redemption offered through Jesus. It's well done and it's easy to understand the big picture of a battle and victory over evil. Because of the rhyming word order, some phrases may need to be explained. For example, "For born as a baby in a very small town was the King's only son, to people come down" (location 31). It's a great and true statement but a 3-5 year old child may not understand "to people come down." Still, it has a powerful message and I'd recommend it.

Thank you to Crossway for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

They took from the tree and they ate from its fruit. They defied the good King, and darkness took root. The Dragon took charge, what a terrible thing. He was harsh and so cruel, not like the good King. He made people slaves and ignored all their cries. then he poisoned their hearts with shame and with lies.

The King and the Dragon was written to help children understand the whole redemptive story of God. It starts with how good the King is, providing for his people with a warning. Do not eat from the one tree. With that, God's redemptive plan takes shape. A promise, a rescue, a everlasting home.

What a blessing for both parents and their children as they discover God's goodness and plan.

A special thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This book is wonderful. The story of scripture is told through a knight vs dragon story. My kiddos (boys 8&6) loved it. My one and only issue with the book is that it says three days and three nights between death and resurrection. Friday 3 pm death to Sunday resurrection isn't 3 days and 3 nights. Some would say that's picky but that's the timeline put forth in scripture.


Thanks to Crossway and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this review.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Great illustrations, beautiful message, and nice rhyming. Recommended for all!

The King and the Dragon is a rhyming children’s book written by James Shrimpton, and illustrated by Helena Perez Garcia.

This book tells the story of God-His creation of the world, the entrance of sin, and Jesus coming to save us.

What makes this book unique though, is it’s told through the lens of a medieval story-filled with a king and his kingdom, a castle, a dragon, and a knight.

The pictures are beautiful, with gorgeous colors and a dreamy feel, the story is engaging, and the rhyming is well-done. Overall, this is a fun and clever book.

I really enjoyed this one, and think it would make a great addition to any small child’s library.

I would like to thank Crossway for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC of the book from the publisher, via NetGalley. Opinions conveyed are my own.
Scripture Connection

Spiritual Themes

The purpose of this book, as stated in the Note to Parents, is to demonstrate the cohesiveness of the Bible as “one unified narrative.” After all, “we often forget the story of the Bible.”

As such, The King and the Dragon presents a beautiful allegory, based on the story of God’s salvation of mankind. The book begins with Creation and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and proceeds with Jesus’ battle with the serpent, His death and victory.

What I Liked

Genre

Allegory is my favorite, because of the way it brings truth to life. Jesus, Himself, spoke in parables and this is a way the Lord speaks powerfully, to me. I am so delighted to read an allegory for such a young audience, since I often encounter allegories for slightly older readers.

Storyline

I liked the simple language and rhymes, which make the truth of Scripture readily accessible. This is important in children’s and adult’s books, alike, since Jesus calls us to receive the Kingdom of Heaven as children. Shrimpton does an excellent job of connecting and conveying the concepts found in the story of Scripture. For instance, he describes how Eve’s decision to listen to the serpent was a rejection of God, Himself, “The people all heeded the Dragon’s false call / Rejecting the King who created it all.” He then goes on to demonstrate how this decision laid the foundation for the dragon’s reign. Moreover, Shrimpton highlights the repercussions of submitting to the dragon: “He poisoned their hearts with shame and with lies.” What a succinct and powerful summary of what it means to have the dragon as a master!

Descriptions of sin and our need for reconciliation are also spot on: “The Knight must bring peace with the King we’ve defied; / We need to be fixed, since we’re broken inside.”

Illustrations

Helena Perez Garcia evokes a Medieval setting, through her illustrations. I think she did an excellent job capturing the wiliness of the dragon, particularly in the image of him trying to take the King’s throne. Plus, the use of lots of background RED, for illustrations of his false dominion, felt fitting. Indeed, color choices, throughout, really matched the book’s tone and action.

I enjoyed the human characters’ period costumes, and I liked the use of bright plants and flowers, throughout. Additionally, the front and back pages include swords, helmets, shields and flames, establishing the feel of the book, even before the story starts. Overall, I feel that the illustrations strongly complemented the story, bringing the rhyming narrative to life.

Respectful Critique

There was one page of the book that felt just a bit “works” oriented to me– not in the sense of proposing that works can save us, but in the sense of implying that, after we are saved, we have some work to do. There’s a line about how we need to “do more / to please the Good King…”, which is then followed up with a line about how He will help us.

As someone who is very sensitive to ideas like this, I would have liked to have seen, first, that God will help us.

Recommendation Status

There’s a lot to appreciate about this book: the allegorical interpretation, the succinct statements of truth and the vivid illustrations. I strongly resound with the need for books that remind us of the truth in Scripture. This book, like The Story of God with Us (one of my favorite books in 2021), does a great job of drawing out the large arc of Scripture. While I do recommend some reader discretion due to the one page I mentioned (especially if the book is being read aloud), there is much to commend!

In a perfect kingdom, under a perfect King
all is well, until the Dragon springs...

When the people of the Kingdom are tempted & break the King's only law, dark times descend. The Dragon, conniving serpent, visits his terror on all, leaving only despair in his wake.

Out of the most unexpected of places, a hero rises. A Knight, brave & true, to slay the beast. But when the unthinkable happens & our hero falls, is all lost? Where will the people find their hope now?

An empty tomb, a Savior rises, evil is destroyed & hearts are rescued.
(expected pub. date 7/12/22)

THANK YOU to Crossway & NetGalley for sending me this ARC. Reviews are honest reflections of my own opinions, always.

An incredible overview of the history of the world & Bible, cast into the mold of medieval knights & dragons. It must be no easy feat to create such a concise, cohesive, and captivating overview of the entire salvation plan (in rhyme, no less), but here it is in one of the best children's books I've laid hands on in a good long time. Illustrations are vibrant & suit the story well. Recommended without hesitation for the young & young at heart.

As a mom of boys, I am always interested in books about knights & dragons. The best ones are allegories fro the Bible and the King of Kings. And this one does not disappoint! I love the pictures and the prose. I think the writing is simple enough for my kids to grasp the concept and also keep them engage.

I was able to get a hand on this book and wow was it great!

This is a good book that you can easily pull quotes from when you are reading the Bible with little ones and they ask "why".
- Why did God take so long?
- Why are all these bad thing happening in the Bible?
- Why weren't Adam and Eve Allowed in the Garden anymore?
- Why do people do bad things?
You get the picture. There is at least one quote that can be used from this book in order to explain with a very tangible example/ reference to this book that fits in perfectly. I especially loved the line
"(this story is missing quite a few pages.) They waited ... for ages, and ages, and ages." Personally I think there should be a chidden series by this author (James W Shrimpton) called the Ages series that can be kingdom stories based on some of the major event in the old testament potential growing with the kids who will grow up with this book and slowly develop into middle grade (I WOULD LOVE TO READ THAT!) But as for the ages quote, I think it is a great place to go back to to explain why God's timing is so important.
There are also Bible passages in the end that are correlated to certain places in the book, just enough to have a fun Family Bible study time. You could easily start with this book and then go to the passages and then ask questions, I wish there were Bible Study question that were pre written to ask and have the little ones think a bit (for the 5 year old and up I honestly think kids up to at least 7 would enjoy this book).

If you want to here more thought stay tuned for my upcoming video on it. But long story short - highly recommend.

The King and the Dragon is a very thinly veiled re-telling of the Bible story of the Garden of Eden, Jesus and his resurrection, and the Devil. It is beautifully illustrated, and makes the story into an exciting adventure. I appreciated the inclusion of relevant Bible passages at the end.