Don’t Blame the Mud: Only Jesus Makes Us Clean by Marty Machowski

This picture book uses the illustration of mud to represent sin. While it uses language that is allegorical in nature, it also comes right out and presents the gospel.

“We are all born with the stain of sin, so we all disobey. That’s why God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross in our place. If you turn from your own way- your sin-and believe in Jesus, your sins and guilt will be washed away. And God will give you a new, clean heart and His Spirit to help you turn from sin and go God’s way.”

It does not speak about eternity in any way.

This picture book has a very clear goal: to help your child see the sin in their life and to know the way to be freed from that sin. It is refreshing to see a children’s book that focuses on the reality of sin, which is a topic that can often be danced around. While the illustrations are not my personal favorite, the story is an effective illustration to teach the truth about our sin nature and our only path to freedom, Christ.

Something that isn’t covered in this book is any talk about eternity and being separated from God in this life and from His mercy and grace in the next if we do not put our faith in Christ alone. Although that is lacking, this book is still a helpful tool for families to reinforce the Gospel.

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