Book Review: God With Us

Title: God With Us
Subtitle: Bible Stories on the Road to Emmaus
Author:  Mike Mikalatos
Illustrator: David Shephard
Publisher:  Waterbrook
Date:  April 2025
Pages: 256
Ages/Grades: 8-12 or third through seventh
ISBN: 9780593578100
Category: Children’s, Comic books, Children’s, Youth
Buy it: https://amzn.to/4ka13K3
Review by: Trisha Smith

Review: 

I am normally not one that likes comics, having not read them since I was a kid. But this book took me back to my childood and my time spent reading comics each day after school. I found myself turning pages quickly as I followed along with the story. I actually enjoyed the time I spent reading. The various Bible stories were short, but well written for such limited wording. I was able to progress through the book quickly due to the length of each chapter and the format. Each story was told by Jesus and was peppered by questions from the children accompanying Him. The questions were typical ones kids might ask and were explained alongside the stories. I did find it a bit confusing at times, but was still able to understand the stories for the most part. The thing I liked the most about this book is the choice of stories that were included. I appreciated seeing stories like the dry bones coming to life because they were ones I never heard as a child. We all hear the typical stories – Jesus feeding the 5000, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, etc. But we don’t hear other stories and I appreciated seeing them brought to life in this graphic novel. I am glad to see that my own 8 year old daughter has connected with the stories as much as she has. It has not only taught her new things, but has driven her to her Bible to read the story from God’s Word and to compare the difference between the graphic novel and the Bible itself.  I am so appreciative of this, as a parent. I am glad to see her learning about God’s love from so many different stories. This is a well written, nicely designed comic book that contains the truth of God’s Word in a format that younger readers will enjoy and find entertaining. The illustrations were nicely designed, as well, and added a nice visual appeal to each story. I am eager to see what new questions my duaghter gives me. So far she has asked a lot of questions, but hasn’t yet made it through to the end. As a parent, I am thrilled to see her so eager to read God’s Word and to verify the stories. She has enjoyed it even more than I did when I read through it!