Behind the Scenes of The Kingdom and the King

Just how much care went into the artwork featured in The Kingdom and the King Storybook Bible?

Illustrator Catalina Echeverri is dedicated to grounding her designs in rich theology, biblical truth, and as much historical accuracy as possible. Every detail of her illustrations is carefully considered—from facial expressions and skin tones to objects and symbolism.

See some examples for yourself…

Story #6, The Nation Grows

• Abraham and Isaac ascend the mountain on the left, carrying wood. We then see the redeeming ram. Then, as Abraham descends the mountain with Isaac, he is showing him the stars of God’s promise. The stars are all connected with subtle lines like a family tree.
• The bowl on the right is the bowl of stew from the story of Esau forfeiting his birthright. It shows Jacob and Esau as babies (with Jacob grabbing his brother’s heel) and as adults: one smooth son holding a spoon, one hairy son holding a hunting spear. 
• The women at the top of the page are Jacob's wives. Rachel is on the left, looking downcast with two stars above her representing her two sons (again, the stars are from the promise to Abraham of family). Leah, on the right, is looking content with six stars to represent her six sons.

Story #10, The Redeemer King, and Story #33, A Sudden Angel Surprise

• The illustrations mirror one another to signal Jesus as the passover lamb. In the first story, from Exodus, the passover lamb is shown between the buildings with bitter herbs underneath it. Then, in the later story of Jesus’ birth, baby Jesus (the lamb of God) is shown between the buildings of Bethlehem with the vine and fruit of his teaching underneath him. This vine becomes a repeated feature in all the stories of Jesus as an adult. The swaddling cloths use the same texture as the lamb’s wool from the Exodus story. 

Story #12, Another Kingly Covenant

• The people in the desert are collecting manna, and silhouettes of quail footprints create a pattern at the bottom. The people stand on the everlasting hands of God, who is caring for them in the wilderness.
• On the next page, the 10 Commandments are given against a background of stars, harking back to God’s promise to bless Abraham’s descendants and multiply them in the land.

Story #18, A King After God’s Own Heart

• The concept of God seeing the heart is displayed in the way the strapping sons of Jesse match up with the small, dark hearts on the right-hand page. Meanwhile, the spindly, young David has a heart burning for God—and so receives the crown.

All 70 stories in The Kingdom and the King Storybook Bible are illustrated and written with such care and consideration of the bigger picture and context of God’s word. We hope this storybook Bible points families to our incredible, true king—Jesus!