David and Goliath, Retold by Bill Yenne and Timothy Jacobs

           
              This book summarizes and illustrates the story of David from the Bible, specifically the events leading up to the fight with Goliath. The story starts with the prophet Samuel selecting Saul to be king of Israel, but Saul did not always obey God. Because of this, God told Samuel that he wanted David to be king one day. David was in charge of watching and protecting the family’s flock of sheep in the field. However, Saul would often become sad, so he had David play beautiful music for him. When Saul’s people were challenged by the Philistines, they were too afraid to fight them because the Philistine warrior named Goliath was almost a giant. David is the only one that faces Goliath armed with only a sling, some stones, and no armor. He was angered that Goliath disrespects God. The stone that David slings hits Goliath in the head, and Goliath falls. At the end of the book, the story jumps far into David’s future saying that he eventually becomes one the best kings of Israel.

            I would most likely use this book in a private Christian school with kindergarten through second-grade students. There are not many words on each page and the illustrations are vivid and fill each page. This story teaches the strength that God gives and how God can help his people overcome challenges. During a Bible or English lesson, this story could empower students in a Christian school and is engaging enough for them to listen to and remember the story. If I used this book in a public school if allowed, I would incorporate other religious stories from different religions and cultures in the form of a picture storybook. This way, no one feels inferior for following a different religion. All religions and cultures are celebrated. In a secular setting, the story would teach students about the culture and beliefs about the Christian and Jewish religions during a Social Studies lesson. The students could also compare and contrast different stories and parables from the religions to gain a better understanding of their world.