Take a front row seat along with the animals who watch as a terrible shadow mars God's perfect world yet redemption is not far behind!
While two newly created rock badgers explore their growing world, they encounter a dark foe the great dragon, the serpent of old. The sinister creature interrupts the badgers' joyful exploration of the growing landscape to reveal his wicked plan to destroy God's creation. When the enemy takes flight, the badgers race to warn Adam and Eve of the impending danger. With every thunderous flap of wings, the serpent draws closer to his perch in the forbidden tree. Will the badgers make it in time to expose the evil plan?
The Shadow and the Promise by bestselling author Marty Machowski follows the adventures of the animals who witness the events of Genesis and Exodus unfold before them. Join badgers in the Garden of Eden, an array of animals in the Ark, groundhogs at Babel, Abraham's donkey, sheep from Joseph's herd, the cats in the palace in Egypt, and a dog and oxen present at the Passover.
"I can hardly wait to share The Shadow and the Promise with our grandchildren. What a creative way to engage the imagination and stir the interest of children in telling key narratives from Genesis and Exodus. We parents and grandparents can find such help in applying these stories in a Christ-focused way by tapping into the included questions and answers."
Larry E. McCall, author of Grandparenting with Grace: Living the Gospel with the Next Generation
"The Shadow and the Promise captivates young (and older) minds while recounting significant stories from Genesis and Exodus. All three of my children asked for 'just one more chapter' again and again! The questions at the ends really turned reading the book into incredible discipleship time!"
Megan Jenkins, Owner of His Kids Company
"In his typical creative and gospel-centered style, Marty traces the biblical storyline throughout redemptive history from the ground level. The Shadow and the Promise will make you laugh, think deeply, and help young people truly appreciate God's grace in creation, the fall, and Exodus all from the perspective of animals in the story."
Leo Parris, Pastor of Community and Care of Covenant Fellowship Church, Glen Mills, PA
"The Shadow and the Promise is unlike other biblical fiction in the best way. It doesn't add to or embellish the stories in Scripture but faithfully retells them alongside an easily distinguishable fictional storyline of eyewitness animals. Read these wonderful retellings to not only delight children but also to show them how these events are a shadow and a promise of Christ."
Korrie Johnson, Good Book Mom, Christian children's book reviewer at goodbookmom.com
"With his trademark creativity, a Bible teacher's deft touch, and a heart that beats for the next generation, Marty has crafted another wonderful story that is sure to delight young readers and sow seeds of eternity in their hearts."
Joshua Cooley, New York Times bestselling author of I Can't Believe My Eyes!, the Heroes of the Bible Devotional, and more
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A wonderful book that is entertaining for the kids! Love that it is factual to the Bible, but from the viewpoint of the animals.
Great book! Not only is the story well done, the cover, font, everything was fantastic!
The Shadow and the Promise covers select Bible stories from creation to the Passover, told from the perspective of the animals. The animals really kept my kids engaged and added humor without compromising the biblical accounts of these stories. We loved Daniel the dove who showed up in every chapter to explain how each story points to Gods redemption plan as he answers the animals questions. This book is definitely worth buying! Perfect for morning basket during homeschool, family devotions or for independent readers.
This book is so cute! We have five little girls between the ages of 10 and 2. I started to read a chapter a night with them and they loved it. Such a great way to spark creativity as well as biblical conversations. I highly recommend this book as well as anything from this author. Everything we’ve used from this author has been outstanding.
my kids ages 3-8 love these stories. they get a little long sometimes, so we can't read a chapter in one sitting, but they enjoy the stories and bring a new and funny perspective to Bible stories.
How do we get our kids interested in the Bible? In the Old Testament? How do we get them to see the point of the Old Testament, in all of its odd detailed-ness, and how it points to Jesus? Marty Machowski has taken seven Bible stories and reimagined them through the eyes of animals who have witnessed the events firsthand. The stories aren’t changed, only the perspectives through which they are read. Each chapter begins with a pair of animals running around hanging out with other animals. They either run into the serpent (as in the first two chapters) or straight into the biblical event. Through a wise white dove named Daniel, Machowski shows how these OT stories foreshadow how Jesus will rescue and redeem his people. Each chapter ends with a good list of Bible verses that contribute to that story’s theology. The book ends with study questions and an answer key for each chapter. One thing I really appreciated was that Machowski's properly interprets Scripture. Not only does he point accurately to Jesus, he interprets the OT texts well. One perfect example is in chapter 4 with the binding of Isaac (Gen 22). Machowski doesn’t interpret Abraham’s obedience to God’s command as a leap of faith, but focuses on promises to Abraham as the basis for Abraham’s obedience (Gen 15:12–14). Recommended? This is a fun book for kids going through the stories they know while faithfully pointing them to Jesus and his work for us. I have read a few of Machowski’s works, and I really appreciate his emphasis on the gospel and how he properly interprets the stories. He is able to relay the Bible’s message to children without making it childish, showing that it is possible to teach them gospel truths and God’s overarching message without goofy antics.
I was encouraged to try this and we purchased the first in the series for a coop class. I ended up purchasing the entire series for my own kids and grand kids. So excited for new great literature.
This book provides a unique perspective of the Bible stories found in Genesis and Exodus. It is written from the point of view of animals who may have witnessed these events. My son who is almost 5 enjoyed it as a read aloud and was very intrigued by what was going to happen next! I love that author added Bible study questions and reading at the end. We are looking forward to reading the next book in this series! I received a free copy of this book from New Growth Press in exchange for my honest review.
My favorite thing about this book was that it makes you “sit” in these stories a little more. As someone who has read all of these stories many times, it gave me a different perspective, really imagining what it would have been like to be there… the real people, the real animals, the conversations that might have taken place. While each chapter is a different story from the Bible and thus different animal narrators, there are two animals that make appearances throughout the whole thing: the serpent(s) who often lurks in the shadows and is always behind the deception of God’s people, and then a dove who teaches and gives insight into God’s plan and promises. I also love the study questions & answer key in the back of the book which includes references for further study and discussion with your kids. Highly recommend this one if you’ve got an elementary/middle schooler in your home.
I was excited to see this book and curious about what it would be like, since I have several of Marty Machowski's picture books already. I was not disappointed! This offers Genesis history in a fun and engaging way, and balances laughter with seriousness as it teaches kids about the Bible through the eyes of animal characters. What a great find!
