The Story of Jonah

An Alice In Bibleland Storybook

by Alice Joyce Davidson, Victoria Marshall (Illustrator)

Follow Alice through a giant magic screen as she walks through to Bibleland for another bible story.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Christian, Religion, Nonfiction, Faith, Old Testament

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Alice Joyce Davidson, a poet, writer, and editor, is the creator of the Alice in Bibleland series and author of numerous Christian-themed children's titles. Her books have sold over five million copies worldwide and have been translated into German, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Korean, and Indonesian. A proud grandmother of two, Alice lives in Cincinnati, OH, where she is active in the arts.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is wonderful! I loved it as much as, if not more than, my kids did!
Of course, it’s a condensation of Bible stories for kids so it’s not as in-depth, but compared to others I’ve seen, it has the whole story and related it all so well!
I loved that at the end it had “I learned three special things”. The illustrations are so beautiful! I enjoyed that the lines rhyme.

Will definitely be looking for more of these ❤️

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrated story of Jonah, who tried to flee from God's will, and got eaten by a fish. Some people have to learn the hard way.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although a book that does teach religion, and therefore probably isn't allowed in many schools, if a teacher in a private school could use this they would find it helpful for teaching about rhyming, prediction and illustrations. The rhyming pattern is found throughout the book and has several different ending rhymes that students can practice with. Also the prediction of what the students think will happen to the character would be a great writing exercise. The illustrations help tie everything together into one comprehensible package, especially for those who may not know the story and are having trouble understanding it.

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love these books

[Daniel Frederickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Story of Jonah” by Alice Joyce Davidson is one of my kids’ favorite bedtime books, and I have come to love it and am impressed at how well-written it truly is.

First is the poetry and diction. It is very easy to read aloud. Too many authors write books that are clumsy to read to children. Making everything rhyme is a skill, and she excels at it.

Second, the storytelling accurately communicates Biblical depth. This storybook gets right what many others get wrong (cough…cough… VeggieTales…).

Theological points the book gets right.
1. Jonah’s decision to run was not based on fear but a lack of compassion for his enemies (Jonah 4:2-3).
2. The Bible says “Fish”. The storybook portrays a big fish. Disagreement in the “Whale/Fish” debate is ok. However, I’m of the opinion that it is best, especially in children’s stories, to avoid coming across as saying, “ACTUALLY this is what the Bible is REALLY saying….”
3. The Fish is not a punishment. It’s Jonah’s salvation (Jonah 2). Jonah’s Psalm is often overlooked in our modern storytelling, but this book summarizes it well. Jonah acknowledges God’s mercy and is grateful for the Lord’s salvation.
4. Jonah did learn his lesson from the Lord in the end. Yes, the Biblical narrative ends with Jonah failing to learn, but Jonah is the writer of the text. The prophet went on to write his story for God’s people to learn from his own mistakes and lack of compassion.

Third, the storybook summarized the practical take-aways for children. It emphasized the need to trust in God’s ever-present goodness, repent of our sins, and have compassion for others just as God has compassion on us.

It’s a relief reading a small Bible storybook that doesn’t serve watered-down truth to kids. Davidson translates the story for children without compromising on theology or attention to poetic detail.

[Joanna Among Paper Petals · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a walk through the story

This book covers the bible story of Jonah and his attempt to hide from God instead of taking the message the Lord wants him to deliver to the city of Nineveh.

I remember reading these Alice in Bibleland storybooks when I was young, one of the few I did read, and I fell in love with them. One section, that is in each of the books of this series, stuck with me through the years. After the airmail bird would deliver a note to the main character that stated, “Reading is the magic key to take you where you want to be,” the character’s storybook would become a giant screen that could be walked through to enter the story they had been reading.

The author wrote this story as the main character being an observer while the events unfolded in front of their eyes, then at the end, that character would walk back through the screen and reflect upon the lessons they had learned from what they saw. The author does an amazing job teaching the lesson from the story without being preachy and keeping it simple for little ones to grasp.

Even though these books are now out-of-print, I was still able to find them at various sites like Amazon, Abebooks, and BetterWorldBooks in great condition. My children and I will still read these books together, even though they have outgrown the reading level, and I will insert their names into the story as the main characters getting to go on this adventure through a storybook. This is one series I will always have in my library and hope they decide to start printing again.

[Whale Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

หนังสือภาพ กลอนสำหรับเด็ก

เกี่ยวกับ Jonah ที่พยายามหลบหนีคำสั่งของพระเจ้าให้ไปเผยแผ่ศาสนา ณ เมืองไกล ๆ เมืองหนึ่ง

รู้สึกแปลก และขัดแย้ง อาจเพราะไม่ใช่คนคริสต์ ? แต่จริงๆก้ไม่น่าเกี่ยว

พระเจ้าบอกว่าให้ Jonah ไปเผยแผ่ศาสนา ให้กับคนในเมืองหนึ่งเพราะ Jonah เป็นผู้ที่มีศรัทธาแรงกล้า
แต่ Jonah ดันพยายามหนีพระเจ้า
I don't like them I won't warn them I won't go
Jonah บอกแบบนี้นี่ยังถือว่ามีศรัทธาแรงกล้าอีกหรอ ? ศรัทธามากทำไมไม่เชื่อฟัง ?

เอาแค่นี้แหละ

[Chloe M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry
1st-3rd Grade
I found this book to be a unique way to tell the story of Jonah. It captures the whole story but in a simpler way. It follows a young girl as she reads Jonah in her Bible. The authors writes as if she is taken into the story to observe it closer. This gives a relatable element for kids as they read. I greatly enjoyed the rhyme this book had as well.

[Good Manticore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this little book as a child, but it is pretty messed up. The lesson is “obey God, or else!” which doesn’t seem like the best thing to be teaching small children. 😬 Poor Alice is probably scared out of her little wits after visiting Bibleland!

[Ice 9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://letterstocassiandotherfolks.bl...

[Carmelita Mariano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my daughter and she I loved it.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute short story retelling of the story of Jonah.

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom found this little book in a basket of baby things she had tucked away. I remember liking the pictures and the story and it’s still just as cute and lovely as it was all those years ago.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Bible story told in rhyme that follows the scriptural account very well. A little girl is transported through her book to watch Jonah as the story unfolds.

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love Alice in Bibleland! This series somehow always manages to be faithful to the story, including more details than other children's books on the same content, all the while, making it rhyme! Amazing!

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/12/20 Read with Julia and Lucas
2/9/20 Read with Julia

[Kenya Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of Jonah is a picturebook for 1st grade to 5th grade according to if they are interested in ready about bible stories. The book is about a little girl that enjoys singing and reading her bible. She reads the story of Jonah in the bible. She recieves airmail from a bird which told her that reading is the magic key to take her anywhere she wants to go. As she reads the story she is able to see what is happening in the story. She is so amazed at how she was able to travel with Jonah during his journey. The pictures were very nice and filled the pages. It was great how the picture helped the story come to life. The language was very easy to understand. This could be used to teach children how reading allows them to use their imagination to travel to the scene of the story. How they can be a part of the story and have a great reading experience. It was a interesting book that I enjoyed and I love bible stories.

[Little Miss and the Legomeister · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kind of liked the illustrations, especially the one of Jonah being swallowed by the fish. I didn't like the way the stormy waves were drawn. I also didn't like Alice. Her presence in the story was just annoying. The writing was done in mediocre verse and had a specific, spelled out moral at the end.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read these books so many times, both to myself as a child, and now to my younger siblings. They are each delightful: easy to read, true to the Scriptures, and charmingly illustrated. I've only found minor problems with them, and think they'd be beneficial to any young children.

[Kymberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little girl named Alice in the book reminds me of my niece Miriam. I pray that she loved God with all her heart, mind, and soul. I am giving it to her tomorrow. It is well written and got the story of Jonah down. Cute pictures!

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! this was one of my favourite stories as a child. I remember how I used to fear the big fish that ate Jonah so much. I remember how I used to admire the photos that came alongside the words/paragraphs of the stories. seeing this again on this site makes me feel nostalgic.

[***Lulu*** · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is soooo CUTE!!!!!!

[Cws]

JENF-Dav

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really want to get my hands on the rest of this series.... this one was great and it rhymes... that can be helpful in a childrens book if done well.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

great pictorial retelling of the original bible tale

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

one of my favorite book series as a child, this was read to me along with Dr Seuss on a regular basis

[Bree · Rating 1 out of 5]

Notes::
Poorly written.
Turns Bible stories into fantasy. Not for me.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book..

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. Of course I liked it. Another children's book written in Poetry. Wish I had the whole set.