The Parables of Jesus

The Parables of Jesus (A Graphic Novel Translation)
By Earnest Graham
Published at Olive Branch Books – a Peace Hill Press imprint

About the book

A hurricane howls towards a house built on sand. A nighttime intruder creeps onto enemy land. A boy leaves home to seek adventure. Robbers menace a lonely traveler. And the unexpected happens.

This new and innovative graphic-novel translation of the parables of Jesus puts a modern twist on an ancient art form: stories that begin with mundane events and end with a glimpse of a deeper reality. Earnest Graham’s illustrations, ranging in style from West African kente and Japanese prints to vivid modern realism, interpret these well-loved stories for the next generation of readers.

Who is Earnest Graham?

The Rev. Earnest Graham is an illustrator and a pastor. He and his family live in Virginia.  See more of his work at http://earnestillustrations.com/.

My Thoughts

Before I start with this review, let me tell you that our family loves comic books.  We are the kind of people who own DC/Marvel comics as well as some Star Wars in the mix.   Also included in our comics are numerous Christian comic books and some Bibles in comic book format.   Now that I have told you this, you should be surprise to hear that I was extremely excited when I stumble on two new titles of Olive Branch Books that presents New Testament stories to kids of all ages.   This blog post present one of the two titles currently available at Olive Branch Books which is an imprint of Peace Hill Press.

The Parables of Jesus is a graphic translation of some of the parables that Jesus shared with his followers.  These are the parables you will find in this graphic novel:

• The Parable of the Sower of Seeds (Matthew 13:1-9)
• The Parable of the Good Seed and the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)
• The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)
• The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32)
• The Kingdom of Heaven is Like Yeast (Matthew 13:33)
• The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Treasure (Matthew 13:44)
• The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Merchant (Matthew 13:45-46)
• The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Net (Matthew 13:47-49)
• The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Land Owner (Matthew 20:1-16)
• The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-27)
• The Parable of the Bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13)
• The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7)
• The Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)
• The Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)

Each and every single one of the parables is beautifully illustrated and will bring the parable to life under your eyes.  Here are examples of the Parable of the Sower of Seeds.

This graphic novel is great to show your kids about what the text in the bible really means.  It will allow you and your children to visualize the word of Christ and open discussion about it.   The graphic novel doesn’t provide the explanations of these parables but it is a great way to open your Bible and talk with your kids about the meaning of each of them.

As I am writing this review, my sweet daughter Jasmine has taken off with the book to sit in the living room and discover the other illustrations of the graphic novel.   She is sitting on the sofa and admire the drawings inside the book.  Together we read the Parable of the Sower of Seeds.

Most of the illustrations included in this graphic novel have been done with a more modernized style which makes the application more realistic in the 21st century.  For example, in the Parable of the Lost Son, the son leaves the household on a motorcycle.   My daughter seeing this asked me if there was motorcycles in Jesus’ time which I told her that no there were no motorcycles back then but the illustrations were made in a modernized way to illustrate how it can be applied to today’s generation of people.   She liked the fact that it was being applied to today’s world.

Another way you could use this graphic novel in your homeschool would be to encourage your kids to illustrate their own version of the parable as an art and writing project.    Comic illustrations is a great way to encourage kids to be creative.  Or you could ask them to draw or paint part of the parable.

The Parables of Jesus is a a great book to have in your personal library in order to teach your kids about the parables that Jesus said to his disciples while he was on Earth.  The fact that the illustrations are adapted to life in the 21st century makes it more realistic for kids of all ages.

The Parables of Jesus is available for purchase at your favourite boosktore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to Olive Branch Books for sending me the above mentioned book for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.