Go and Do Likewise!: The Parables and Wisdom of Jesus

by John Hendrix

The parables and teachings of Jesus are brought to life in this stunning picture book from award-winning author and illustrator John Hendrix
 
But Jesus was going somewhere.
His journey to find those most in need of him began anew each morning.
Jesus walked . . . and ever since, people have followed him.
 
Through parables of the good Samaritan and the prodigal son, the lost sheep and the beatitudes, Jesus taught his disciples the redeeming power of sacrificial love and showed mercy to everyone around him—especially the sick, the poor, and the downtrodden.
 
In this inspirational and richly illustrated book, John Hendrix brings to life the wisdom of Jesus. Interweaving hand lettering with his signature, award-winning art style, Hendrix captures the spirit of Jesus’s timeless message that will resonate with readers of any Christian faith.
 

Genres: Picture Books, Religion, Nonfiction, Childrens, Christianity, Christian, Spirituality

40 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Hendrix is the illustrator of Nurse, Soldier, Spy and author/illustrator of Shooting at the Stars, among others. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retold and illustrated by John Hendrix, the teachings of Jesus, told through beatitudes and parables, are meaningfully-written for readers of any Christian faith, young and old alike. His unique art style depicts exquisitely-illustrated text and pictures. My personal favorites include:
- "Blessed Are..." from "The Beatitudes";
- "The Good Samaritan" (which is the focus of the title); and,
- "The Parable of the Lost Sheep".

This would make a great read-aloud for young children and suitable independent reading for students in middle-school and older. Adults would appreciate this as well!

Thank you, Darla, for bringing this recently-published picture book to my attention! Absolutely beautiful!

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bursting with biblical truth and beautiful to behold, this new release from John Hendrix would fit right into family worship. The illustrations complement the text and assist in communicating the truths put forth from the gospels. In just 40 pages, we are treated to the following teachings: the Vine and Branches, the Good Samaritan, a portion of the Beatitudes, the Wise Man and the Foolish Man, The Speck and the Log, Love Your Enemies, the Pearl of Great Price, the City on a Hill, The Lost Sheep, The Prodigal Son, and the teachings in John 14. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This book will bless those who pick it up to learn more about the Word made Flesh.

Thank you to Abrams Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really lovely retelling of Jesus' parables and wisdom. This is a picture book for older kids, with lots of text and more grown-up looking illustrations. Jesus is not a fresh-faced, squeezable guy here, more weathered and chiseled, the type of person you'd believe would overturn a temple table or two. As a child, I was always fascinated by typography incorporated into illustration, and Hendrix separates different stories with a fancifully illuminated letter. Go and Do Likewise is a book to pore over, and the content of the parables naturally reward rumination. An excellent combination of author/illustrator and subject matter.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Jesus's sandals were always dusty. Jesus didn't call any one place home. But he was not alone. Alongside Jesus were his students, the twelve disciples.

In 2016, John Hendrix gave us Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus. I definitely enjoyed it. I wasn't expecting a follow up book, but was pleasantly surprised to see that he has a new book out called Go and Do Likewise: The Parable and Wisdom of Jesus.

The 'wisdom' shared here mainly comes from the Sermon on the Mount. (I would say with a few bits perhaps from the gospel of John.) The parables come mainly (though not exclusively) from the gospel of Luke. Expect The Good Samaritan, the Lost Sheep, the Prodigal Son, etc.

What is shared, in my opinion, for better or worse, focuses on ethics: how to be a good, decent, kind human being.

Hendrix definitely puts his own spin on the stories. What do I mean by spin? Adding his own interpretation and commentary. This isn't all that unusual for bible story books. I think every author is 'guilty' of it to a certain degree or another. But adding details--opinions, observations, making conclusions--to the text that simply aren't in the original (in any translation) can be theologically tricky. I think he adds what he adds for storytelling purposes. He wants to tell an engaging story to a young audience. He's not out to quote the Bible verse by verse by verse.

The story of the Good Samaritan can be found in Luke 10:30-37.

The original verse: And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

That's it. That's all the Bible says about the priest in the parable. Hendrix, however, spins a different tale:
But a priest of God, the ones you see in the temple, was also traveling this lonely road. As he looked upon the dying man, the priest feared for his own life--or perhaps didn't want to get his fine clothes dirty--and passed by him on the other side of the road without stopping to help.

The original verse: Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

Again, Hendrix spins a tale with motives: A short time later, a Levite, a person who also worked in the temple, came along the road. He, too, saw the wounded man, and blaming the man for his own carelessness, left him in a puddle of dirt and blood.

Hendrix definitely spins the Beatitudes as well. The Beatitudes can be read in Matthew 5:3-12.

Original: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Hendrix: Blessed are those who feel like an empty jar. God will fill that emptiness with abundance.
Original: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Hendrix: Blessed are those who cry, for the Lord sees every tear. Each one, He will wipe away.
Original: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Hendrix: Blessed are those full of mercy, for they, too, will be shown grace.
Original: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Hendrix: Blessed are those who work for peace. They understand what it means to be God's child.

He definitely doesn't include every single Beatitude. He leaves some off--not a criticism, just an observation. (He leaves off gentle, hunger and thirst, pure in heart, the persecuted).

The narrative style is unique as are the visuals. The layout very much stresses the visual arts. The text is almost secondary in importance. This makes it slightly difficult to read in places. It also shifts it, in my opinion, to a slightly older audience. (As opposed to a beginning reader.)

[V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go and Do Likewise is a collection of Christ's parables. You won't find watered-down gospels or fanciful interpretations; rather, you get a clear, accurate version of scripture; the meaning of words/concepts that may pose challenges is provided within the story (i.e. who Levites are or why a Samaritan helping an Israelite is significant). Comprised of one narrative in which Jesus walks from town to town preaching, readers will learn the questions posed to Jesus, his responses, and the crowds' reactions to his teaching. From the builders who constructed their houses on rock vs. sand to the Good Samaritan and more, Christians will recognize familiar lessons while non-Christians can gain an understanding of the foundations of the Christian faith.

Between the appealing pictures, oversized words (which T loves to read himself), comfortable pacing, and scripture-based content, Go and Do Likewise has become a fast favorite in our house. I recommend this for Christians and non-Christians alike – young readers will come away will a solid understanding of the tenets of Christian faith.



Note: A review copy was provided upon request for the purpose of this honest review.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More text on the pages than I was expecting. I like the emphasis on Jesus as a storyteller.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I especially like the retelling of The Good Samaritan story and the message to love our neighbors, even our enemies.

[James Biser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good review of the life and teachings of Jesus. It is short and told in a way that is easily related to children.

[Jed Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combines incredible artwork with engaging and contextually accurate teachings of Jesus. Genuinely moving and inspiring.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Building a collection of factual, appealing, and captivating titles regarding world religions and notable leaders and teachers within those religions is challenging. For readers seeking more knowledge about their faith or curious about the practices of other faiths, selected books offer the best representation by own voices authors and illustrators. When these authors and illustrators create nonfiction picture books, they do so with an informed perspective.

Tuesdays are a highlight in the children's literature world with the release of new titles. On the first Tuesday of this month, two beautiful books, certain to enhance collections in public school libraries and on the bookshelves in Jewish and Christian places of worship, were published.

Five years ago, on February 9, 2016, Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus was published. After reading this book, I stated:

The stories are familiar but the interpretation by John Hendrix in his text and illustrations is extraordinary.

This book

is a beautiful celebration, forged in faith.

In a companion title, Go And Do Likewise! The Parables and Wisdom of Jesus (Abrams Books for Young Readers, February 2, 2021) written and illustrated by John Hendrix, those same assessments are equally true. Exquisite, highly detailed images pair with stories handed down through the ages.

My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Erin]

A beautifully illustrated assortment of parables. These focus more on religion as a community of service and compassion, and less on self-righteousness. More focus on humble self-awareness, love, and forgiveness. The parables are relatively familiar: the good Samaritan, the prodigal son, the lost sheep, building your house on a solid foundation. These are stories that bear repeating. Just like physical health and mental wellness require regular checkups and work, spiritual health and fitness is the same. These stories are a beautiful kind of spiritual checkup.

Storytelling itself also gets a shoutout: “Each human was created to be a living story, and so Jesus spoke to us in story – a form that would echo inside our souls for thousands of years.” The author notes that stories both fortify and challenge us, make us think, and inspire us to action. I am reminded of the stories used in A Monster Calls to make the point that the villain isn't always who you think they are.

[Abigail Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful. I'm excited to own this one as our family loves John Hendrix's work and this one is no exception. It reads more as an anthology of Jesus' teachings rather than a story, but the illustrations are true to Henrix's style- intriguing and exceptional. I'm confident our boys will pore over each page, and I'm so grateful to have Biblically inspired books made by authors and illustrators pursuing excellence in their craft. If you haven't encountered this illustrator before, start with Miracle Man for kids and The Faithful Spy for older kids/adults.

[Robby Eckard · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Hendrix, always great

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Hendrix's work. I really do. His illustrations and storytelling are wonderful. This one just didn't speak to me the way Miracle Man did. I feel more removed from this book, while Miracle Man drew me in. The telling of the parables was good. It kept to the biblical story while using language kids can understand. I hate writing bad reviews, but I think this needs to be said.

There are no women in this book! I can find two (possible) girls on the cover and two tiny women in a crowd scene. That's it. We know there were women with Jesus and the twelve disciples. We know Jesus sought out women to talk to, rebelling against the culture of his time. AND four of Jesus' parables feature women as the main characters. Many of the other parables could have women in them. 36 pages, and 2 pages of notes about all the research, but there are no women in this book. Wow. I guarantee there were women in Israel in this time period. And they were an important part of all these men's lives.

It's 2000 years since Jesus, and women are still being erased from Christianity, even though Jesus saw us all along. I'm sorry, Mr. Hendrix. I can't tell you how disappointed I am that I can't recommend this book.

[Also, the way the Rabbis are portrayed in the book is not great. I think it's possible to get the point across that Jesus was discussing things with them without making them all look mean and angry. I don't want my kids to think that's what Jewish people are like. Or that Rabbis are mean authority figures. Christians need to be careful how we portray Jewish people in our stories. Many Christians don't know the history. Go read the Wikipedia article on "Jewish deicide". It's super important.]

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author rewrites about 10 different parables/ teachings of Jesus and puts them in a narrative flow that makes it seem almost as if they happen one after the other. As the author writes in the back of the book, "The order of the parables and teachings in this book was created primarily for narrative and thematic flow. The setting of the story is not meant to reflect a single day's events, and the stories are not presented in the chronological order found in the gospel accounts."

As an adult reading it, the stories were engaging and were told in a way that made them seem fresh and interesting, but not at all unbiblical with a bunch of made up details. I applied the author for that!

I'm not really sure what age this is for... I got it for my 5-year-old, but I know she's definitely not ready for it yet. Honestly, my main hesitation with her and it is the pictures. They're not fun, calming or cute pictures that she would typically like. This seems like it's for an older audience, yet it's still a picture book... So again, I'm just not sure what age would enjoy it.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Hendrix provides illustrated and paraphrased selections of the parables of Jesus.

This was exceptionally well done, from the symbolism and historical authenticity of the artwork and graphic design, to the word choice for the paraphrases to convey the meaning in ways easy to grasp for kids without losing any of the richness. I would say this is probably most easily understood by middle grades, but lower grade readers can probably still get a lot out of it (you might want to break it up for them though, as it is a little long for say a typical Kindergartner to sit still for in one fell swoop).This would be fantastic to use with kids studying Jesus' parables. Highly recommended for Christian families and Christian schools.

[superawesomekt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only recently heard of John Hendrix, but I was intrigued that he devotes much of his writing to spiritual / religious topics. Much of what is produced in this arena is rote and effectively drivel (artistically, at least). While of course this book is neither.

It seems obvious to me that Hendrix is primarily an illustrator as the layout alone of this book is quite different. It's an excellent presentation of Jesus's core teachings with vivid illustrations. It feels like Jesus really wants to engage with the reader—a sign that Hendrix really wants to, and, I think, succeeds.

My only real concern is there is a LOT in here for a picture book. Who exactly is this written for? Maybe for parents to read aloud only one section at a time, but more likely for the older child (age 8+).

[Cheryle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young readers edition gives good insight into a few of the parables of Jesus. A good way to teach young people about some of the biblical concepts.
Through parables of the good Samaritan and the prodigal son, the lost sheep and the beatitudes, Jesus taught his disciples the redeeming power of sacrificial love and showed mercy to everyone around him—especially the sick, the poor, and the downtrodden.

In this inspirational and richly illustrated book, John Hendrix brings to life the wisdom of Jesus. Interweaving hand lettering with his signature, award-winning art style, Hendrix captures the spirit of Jesus’s timeless message that will resonate with readers of any Christian faith.

[Dest · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want my kid to know about Jesus and his teachings because he is important culturally and philosophically. I think this book worked pretty well for that purpose. Parables are great in general. This book sparked important questions and discussion about values and ethics.

A few complaints:
The choice of typesets/fonts made this a little hard to read. It was very graphic-design-y and not super friendly for children trying to decipher the text.

It also lacked smooth transitions from one story to another. A few times I turned the page and was surprised that we were moving on to the next story already.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations and the author's word choices for paraphrasing, especially "love our neighbor as naturally as we love ourselves" and the Sermon on the Mount. For someone who grew up hearing these parables a lot, the transitions weren't jarring, and although I agree with other reviewers that there definitely could have been women and more racial diversity included in the illustrations, I don't think it takes away from the point of the book. Jesus valued all people and his display and message of love comes through.

[Talia Messina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of John Hendrix and this is an excellent compilation of Jesus’s parables. However, I think this should have been a graphic novel, not a picture book. There is so much text—-excellent text—but the placement muddled up the incredible artwork. I wanted to story to breathe a bit more with either having more pages to spread out the text or less words to make the illustrations shine. For this reason, it’s 4 starts instead of 5, but the text itself is wonderful.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Abrams Books for Young Readers through Edelweiss+.
A retelling of Christ's parables and teachings for middle grade readers. Hendrix explains and shows what Jesus said/did in language they will understand. The illustrations enhance the text and pull readers in as well.
Great gift book for young families.

[Carrie]

This was not nearly as kid-accessible a translation as I was hoping for or expecting and the design of the words was weirdly difficult to read. I kept starting in the wrong place on the page. Still, the overall presentation was creative, and Olive was really engaged the whole time. We'll see if it becomes one she wants to read again.

[Charlotte Glaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a graphically gorgeous book, as well as a nice paraphrasing of Jesus' parables to help readers get some of the background to make the stories relevant today, without changing them. For example, in the Good Samaritan story, it is made clear that the Samaritan is someone that the listeners didn't like, but without losing the story flow or the original story.

[Chrisanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this one too. It is definitely more for older kids---more text heavy than Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus. And I would have chosen different parables. But that's me.

I loved the introductory note.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully designed and illustrated and respectful of the original text. This book will engage kids and get adults to think about the parables afresh. Get this if you are normally disappointed by sterile, moralizing children’s Bibles.

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet, quick read! I loved the pictures and illustration style, and it helped me to revisit Jesus' parables in a fresh light. It's so easy to skim past them because I've read them a million times; this got me thinking about them in new ways. Well worth the read.

[Stefanie Foard · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I read a digital ARC of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this excellent follow up to Miracle Man (Abrams, 2016), Hendrix offers a paraphrased collection of some of Jesus' best know parables like "The Good Samaritan" and "The Prodigal Son."

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

3/28/21 Read with Julia