Book Review: Go And Do Likewise

Karl Grice from the Wandering Bookseller provided me with a copy of this book and I’ve had it sitting on my shelf awaiting review for quite some time. The reason: I guess I was afraid. I didn’t want to open a book retelling the parables of Jesus and find myself disappointed. Jesus’ parables, and the contexts in which he told his multilayered stories, are common fodder for Christian children’s books and sometimes the results are sickly sweet, overdone or just dull. So I procrastinated. I read other books and reviewed other titles. Until today, when I faced the warm tones of this children’s book and began to read.

​Go and do likewise! The parables and wisdom of Jesus is a picture book written and illustrated by John Hendrix. (See here for another review of one of his books.) A selection of parables are retold in the context of Jesus’ teaching and the invitation to follow him that he offered his listeners. 

There is a lot of text in this book, much more than in a traditional picture book. And the flow of narrative doesn’t follow a standard story format either. It moves from an introduction to the parable of the good Samaritan, then jumps straight into a snippet of the Sermon on the Mount. After this there is a transition sentence or two and then the parable of the two builders. A look at the sawdust/plank metaphor comes next, then a collection of short parables and sayings. The lost sheep, the loving father and his two sons, and an ending that uses Jesus’ own words to describe who he is and why his words matter. ​

Despite my trepidation, and the fact this book refuses to fit into any traditional storybook narrative flow, I really liked it. To me it was welcoming and thoughtful. It invites reflection and genuine engagement in Jesus’ parables and teaching without leaning on preconceived interpretations. At the back of the book, Hendrix includes an author’s note in which he shares his motivation and perspective as an artist-storyteller. He also explains the paraphrasing used and lists scripture passages from which the text (and illustrations) are drawn. This adds valuable credibility to the retelling.
Go and do likewise! is an excellent introduction to the parables and teaching of Jesus. Well recommended. (I’d even suggest using it as a complementary text in children’s Bible classes where individual parables are being taught. You could easily read sections of this book and talk about the illustrations, without using the whole book each time.) I certainly had nothing to be afraid of with this book. 

All the details you need:
Title: Go and do likewise! The parables and wisdom of Jesus.
Written and illustrated by: John Hendrix 
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
Available from The Wandering Bookseller.