The Garden the Curtain and the Cross by Carl Laferton

When God first made the world, there was a beautiful garden where nothing bad ever happened. God was there and He spoke to the people, Adam and Eve. It was perfect, until one day the people went against what God said. They sinned. Adam and Eve couldn’t live in the garden anymore.

No one could come into the garden anymore. As more people filled the earth, there was more sin. God wanted to live with His people, so He told them to build a temple and He would live there. In the middle of the temple was where God dwelt, but He told the people to put a big curtain around this place. Because people were sinful, they couldn’t come in.

Then Jesus came to the earth. After the people sinned again and put Jesus on a cross, Jesus took all our sin, and then the curtain tore! Because of Jesus, we can be with God. We can go in. Then Jesus rose from the dead and we’ll be able to see him in heaven because of what He did for us.

There is also a simplified board book version available.

This book effortlessly connects the Garden of Eden and the curse, the curtain in the temple and how it was needed to separate the people from the Holy of Holies, and the cross of Christ in a way that is easy to grasp for children. The curtain in the temple and its symbolism usually aren’t something discussed in a children’s book, but this book makes us ask, why not?

Catalina Echeverri illustrations are once again inviting and playful without belittling scripture. It beautifully communicates how Christ’s sacrifice allows us to be with God, and how he is the answer to what happened in the garden. I highly recommend this book for your home library!

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1. What do you think was the very best part of living in the garden?
2. Wouldn’t speaking to and living with God be AMAZING?
3. Why did God tell the people to put up the curtain in the temple?
4. Why did the curtain rip when Jesus died on the cross?
5. How can we once again be with God, even though we are still sinners?