Christian Book Awards 2023 Finalist for Young People's Literature
ECPA Top Shelf Cover Award 2022
Marty Machowski's Darkest Night Brightest Day shows families how Easter morning turned the world upside down and right side up.
Start a new Easter season tradition with your family by reading this beautifully illustrated ""upside down"" book that includes fourteen Bible stories for Passion and Easter weeks. Begin on Palm Sunday with the first side, Darkest Night, which has seven stories that recount the events of Passion week, ending with Christ's crucifixion and burial. Flip the book over on Easter morning and continue by reading Brightest Day, featuring seven more stories that progress from Christ's resurrection to his ascension and Pentecost.
Machowski weaves the four Gospel accounts together into one harmonized story and provides questions for family discussion. Children are sure to remember the contrast between the darkness at the death of our Lord and the light-filled events from Christ's resurrection onward.
"The good news of the person and work of Christ is the most important thing we can celebrate with and teach to our children. This family devotional teaches, proclaims, and applies the things of "first importance" (1 Corinthians 15:3–4): that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day."
Justin S. Holcomb and Lindsey A. Holcomb, Authors of God Made All of Me, God Made Babies, and God Made Me in His Image
"In Darkest Night Brightest Day best-selling children's author Marty Machowski once again provides families with a devotional they can trust and enjoy together! With stunning illustrations and helpful discussion questions, this Easter devotional is a new and fresh retelling of the old, old Story. Through the cross and empty tomb, history was changed and lives are transformed. The difference is night and day."
Champ Thornton, Pastor; author of several books, including The Radical Book for Kids, The Serpent Slayer and the Scroll of Riddles,and Why Do We Say Good Night?: When You Are Afraid of the Dark
"If you're looking for a fun and theologically sound way to teach your children about the true meaning of Easter, look no further. Marty Machowski has done it again! Darkest Night Brightest Day is an excellent resource for children."
Ginger Hubbard, Bestselling author of Don't Make Me Count to Three and Chloe and the Closet of Secrets; speaker; cohost of the Parenting with Ginger Hubbard podcast
"Nothing is more important than introducing our children to Jesus. Nothing is more vital to know about Jesus than his death and resurrection. In Darkest Night Brightest Day Marty Machowski has given us a beautiful, thoughtful, user-friendly tool for guiding our children (and ourselves!) to Jesus in a reflective, worshipful observance of Holy Week and Easter week."
John Kitchen, Author; pastor of the International Church of Slemani, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
"This book is a gift to both parents and children. The words, artwork, and discussion questions bring the resurrection story to life. I'm certain it will become a new Easter-season tradition in our home."
Drew Hill, Award-winning author of Alongside: Loving Teenagers with the Gospel
"If you're having trouble convincing your kids that Easter is more than candy and egg hunts, Marty Machowki's Darkest Night Brightest Day is here to help. Colorful and Christ-exalting, this book shows how the darkness of Calvary became the light of resurrection. Marty's books are a treasure for parents who want their children to know the glories of the gospel."
Trish Donohue, Author of Between Us Girls: Walks and Talks for Moms and Daughters
"Darkest Night, Brightest Day is a great tool for helping young children gaze intently at Christ's life and work. With attention to detail, Machowski carefully guides families through the events of Holy Week and the days between resurrection and Pentecost. The book will help children to see Christ's beauty and the importance of putting faith in him."
Jared Kennedy, Editor at The Gospel Coalition; author of The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible and Keeping Your Children's Ministry on Mission
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My kids loved this book and I loved there were questions for them after each reading and they were very surprised it was a two in one book. I also liked that it continued the story past Easter so my kids could continue to learn and understand just what Easter is about.
My children (6, 5, 2) loved listening to this devotional leading up to Easter. This will be a devotional we read year after year!
Excellent content. Highly recommend.
The dual-cover book is such a beautiful vision for what the cross and resurrection does: turns the entire world upside down. You start with Darkest Night, which has seven short chapters (one per day) starting with Palm Sunday and moving through Passion week. After finishing Darkest Night, you flip the book on Easter Sunday and spend Easter week celebrating the resurrection, with the final chapter being Pentecost. Machowski did a great job of faithfully combining the material across the gospels and making it accessible across the age spectrum. Our eight year old, six year old, and four year old all enjoyed this book. Machowski has simple but good questions at the end of each chapter for family discussion. The only critique I have is that in some of the chapters Machowski used a bit more imagination than others, primarily where he was covering material where the gospels themselves give us less detail. I liked these sections, but it at times made the writing feel a bit uneven. I think the book would have benefitted from Machowski allowing his imagination to run a bit more free (while being faithful to the text, of course) in the sections where he was synthesizing the different gospel accounts together. I'd strongly recommend this as an Easter devotional, especially if your kids are under 12. We plan to use it again next year. Grateful for Machowski's ministry. If you haven't already, check out his excellent family devotional Long Story Short.
This is a beautiful book. I love how it was designed with ”The Darkest Night” being one “front” and including 7 lessons and “The Brightest Day “being the alternate, flip “front,” including 7 lessons. “The Darkest Night” includes scripture and lessons beginning at the day of triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the week of Passover and through the day of His crucifixion and burial. “The Brightest Day” includes scripture from when the stone of the tomb of Jesus was rolled away through the Day of Pentecost. I do disagree with the author that when the stone was rolled away from the tomb, Jesus walked out. I believe the stone was rolled away not to let Jesus out but to let His disciples see that He was no longer there. There are one or two more questions I have but this leads to discussion and right back to the Bible to search.
Bought for my 4-6 yr olds. Lots of words are big, concepts are big. Personally I loved this book but had to re-explain ALOT to my kids or break it down for them better so they understood. But ultimately we all loved it, and frankly I’m not sure I’d change the older language - maybe write another instead. Great book!
Great little family devotional for Easter. It was written for slightly older children than ours(2-8), we discovered afterwards. But great truths and questions to discuss with the family.
Bought 30 of these book to give to our church families on Palm Sunday! They are so beautiful and I love that it includes questions to help further engage your family in the Easter story. 10/10 would recommend!
I am so glad I found this in time for the Holy Week! The storytelling was powerful and lined up to Scripture! The illustrations were beautiful. I was captivated by the cover!
Utterly beautiful book with two front hardcovers and gorgeous illustrations. A wondrous walk through the events leading up to the darkest night and after the brightest day.
