Jesus Moments: Moses

Danika Cooley

We want our kids to see that the Old Testament points to Christ. In her marvelous Jesus Moments series, Alison Mitchell helps children seek-and-find the Old Testament connection to Jesus in fun ways they'll be sure to remember!

Bob Hartman

What a clever series! By using symbols that children must find and explore, these books draw out significant links between Old Testament characters and Jesus. Perfect for parents and teachers who want to help their children understand God’s Big Story.

“Great resource for homes and churches!”

We're so excited for this second book from the Jesus Moments series!

A lot of stories about Moses are about how God used him to bring His people out of slavery in Egypt. I love how this book tells of the times AFTER escaping from Pharaoh and his army across the Red Sea, and covers what the Israelites have gone through in their 40 years of wandering in the desert. And as usual, I appreciate the way Alison Mitchell makes the connections between Old Testament heroes with our ultimate hero Jesus, in a way that is understandable and engaging to young readers. My kids 5 and 7 both love this series! I've also used this series in our preschool-kindergarten Sunday School classes and all the children engaged and enjoyed. We can't wait for the next book to come out!

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Love the connections between OT and NT!”

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book about Moses! My boys loved the interactive element of looking for the bulrushes to find the Jesus Moments. My 3 and 5 year old were very engaged! We own both of the books in this series and hope there will be many more!

“A Superb Jesus-Centred Retelling”

These books are a lovely way to show children something of what it means to read the Bible and see how it points us to Jesus. This volume looks at Moses and manages to honour the story of the Exodus while also showing us how "Jesus moments" shine through. God demonstrated his glory through the Exodus but his ultimate glory is demonstrated through Jesus. The language and illustrations are great for primary-aged children, whether they're learning to read or being read to.

“Really good "telling" of Moses' story”

This is a beautifully written (a great read-aloud book) storybook about Moses and the Israelites. It begins after they have crossed the Red Sea and the army of Pharaoh has been destroyed. The book covers with some emphasis and detail (though not gory) the 40-year period of wandering. Most young children's storybooks don't give this much information. Also, as a "Jesus Moments....Finding Jesus In the Story...." book, the deeper theological connections between Old Testament and New Testament (Moses and Jesus) are made in a very understandable methodology for young readers and listeners.

Given the increased detail in the story, very young listeners in the four to six year range may lose interest or miss the connections.

I absolutely love this book as well as the other Jesus Moments book, "David," that I previously reviewed. The concept of presenting where Jesus or the promises of Jesus are found in the Old Testament is fairly new for the age bracket audience of picture books.

In "Finding Jesus in the Story of Moses" we see several incidents that occurred during the 40-year wilderness journey. In each of these there is the opportunity to look for "bulrushes" which indicate that there is a "Jesus Moment" to look for on that page. This engages the child and produces involvement and opportunity to teach further details.

I love the illustrations and the readability of the story itself. The grumbling of the Israelites is really captured and God's disapproval and His patience shown.

I highly recommend this series for your age 5 to 10 year olds.

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

“A wonderful resource for helping children connect the OT to Jesus!”

So happy to see another addition to this series! Teaching children that the whole panoply of Scripture culminates in Jesus Christ is essential and yet sadly lacking in many resources. The fact that this book uses an engaging way to get this point across is that much more fun for kids.

This book looks at the life of Moses, particularly from after crossing the Red Sea. Then the last pages go back and explain the “Jesus moments” in more detail. I do wish the book would’ve been a tad longer and cover a few more details of Moses’ life, but given the scope of the book, I understand why it wasn’t. I also wish more Scripture references were included. They are included on the last page, but throughout the pages would be ideal. As with the book on David, I found a free downloadable bookmark on The Good Book’s website that includes this and I think this should be a page in the book. It’s exactly what I thought was missing. I’ll be printing a copy of this and adding it to our book, but I hope in any future books for this series that it’s included in the actual book as well.

The illustrations are bold and don’t shy away from the story while maintaining appropriateness for children. The text is bigger and easy to read for any independent reader. There’s also a matching worksheet on the website for children to complete while reading or after reading the book. You match the Moses moment to the Jesus moment and then use the space at the bottom to explain how Moses’ story looks a bit like Jesus’ in each scene. The homeschool mom in me loves this kind of stuff. What a great way to practice recall and writing competency.

“Love how it connects the OT and NT”

I love this concept because it shows how the Bible, both the Old Testament and New Testament all point to Jesus and His redemptive and complete work on the cross.

Bulrushes are hidden in the illustrations to note a "Jesus moment."

The beginning and the end of the book read more like a lesson vs a storybook. The book includes key points after the crossing of the Red Sea to the story of the bronze snake. At the end of the book, the author goes back and reviews how each story points back to Jesus. But The story of Moses seems rushed almost told in bullet points and only truly takes time to develop the golden calf story. The illustrations are not my favorite.

“Cleverly done!”

Our children have enjoyed this one. My eldest (age 7) regularly can be found reading it to himself and my middle child (age 4) enjoys spotting the Jesus moments!

I love the idea behind this series - helping our children see how the whole Bible points us to Christ, and this one is cleverly done.

Thank you TGBC for generously providing this copy in exchange for my honest review.

“Unique Bible Story Retelling”

This unique Old Testament storybook shares snapshots from Moses's life. At the beginning of the book, the author explains that if you look closely, you can see parallels to Jesus in different Old Testament stories. She encourages kids to look for hidden bulrushes in illustrations, because these each signal a "Jesus moment." This seek-and-find detail appears on four pages, and the target audience of elementary-aged kids will enjoy this added element.

Throughout this book, Allison Mitchell describes some of Moses's experiences leading the Israelites through the wilderness. Because so many books about Moses start with his birth and end with the Exodus, it's nice that this book takes a different approach, covering other elements from his life. This book also deals with some hard moments related to sin, with the creation of the golden calf and the story of the bronze snake. The book shares a clear message about how God forgives and rescues His people, and pages at the end make connections between aspects of Moses's story and the story of Jesus.

This is the second book in a new series that teaches kids about how Old Testament stories point to Jesus. In some ways, I thought that this was better than the first book in the series, and in other ways, I felt that it fell short. The seek-and-find element is less effective in this book, since the bulrushes blend in as part of the natural scenery, while the crowns in the book about David could appear in more creative ways throughout that book. This book has higher-contrast illustrations than the first, but there are still some more monochrome pages that won't show up as well in a group read-aloud context. Overall, I think that this is a good book, and I would recommend it to Christian families and churches who are looking for a dynamic, gospel-centered book that covers less acknowledged aspects of Moses's story.

I received a free copy from the publisher, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

“Great Addition!”

**Review**

This bright and engaging book is a wonderful addition to our collection. It always highlights God's plan through fun, interactive elements that keep children captivated. The hardcover format adds durability, making it perfect for young readers. We are thoroughly enjoying this series and highly recommend it for parents, grandparents, homeschoolers, and children's ministry.