Jesus and the Lions’ Den - A true story about how Daniel points us to Jesus - Hardback

You Know the Story of Daniel. But Have You Seen Jesus in It?

Every child who has grown up in church knows the story. Daniel — the faithful servant of God who kept praying when it was dangerous to pray, who was thrown into a den of lions, and who walked out the next morning completely unharmed. God shut the lions’ mouths. Daniel was saved. God proved himself to be the King of everyone everywhere.

It is a wonderful story. It teaches children about prayer. It teaches them about faithfulness and courage. It teaches them that God is real, that he cares, and that no king on earth has the final word.

But peel back one more layer — and something even more extraordinary appears.

Jesus and the Lions’ Den by Alison Mitchell is a stunningly illustrated hardback storybook that does something genuinely distinctive: it helps children aged 3–6 see Jesus in the story of Daniel, discover the hidden connections between Daniel’s rescue and the gospel, and begin to understand the breathtaking truth that the whole Bible — from the very first page to the very last — is one connected story about Jesus.

Spot the Jesus Moments — Find the Hidden Lions

One of the most innovative and beloved features of this book is its interactive visual device. Hidden throughout the illustrations are small lion symbols — placed at the moments in Daniel’s story that most closely foreshadow and parallel the story of Jesus. Children are invited to spot them, to look carefully at the pictures, and to ask: why is there a lion here? What does this moment have to do with Jesus?

This is not a trivial visual game. It is a genuine hermeneutical tool for children — training young eyes to read the Old Testament the way Jesus himself taught his disciples to read it: as a story pointing forward to him. The hidden lions create curiosity, engagement, and the particular joy of discovery — the delight of a child who spots something and understands what it means.

The book accomplishes a difficult balance: it does not let Jesus overshadow the story or make him overt where he isn’t, but shows how he works in quiet, small, and often unrecognised ways — teaching children to look for Jesus moments not just in the Bible but in their own lives.

Daniel and Jesus — The Parallels Unveiled

After the story is told and the lions spotted, the book goes further. It explicitly draws out the parallels between Daniel and Jesus — helping children see the connections clearly and understand what they mean. Some of the most striking include:

• Daniel was innocent — he had done nothing wrong, yet he was condemned. Jesus was perfectly innocent, yet he was condemned and crucified.
• Daniel was sealed in the pit — a stone was rolled over the entrance. Jesus was sealed in a tomb — a stone was rolled across the door.
• Daniel came out alive — to the astonishment of everyone. Jesus rose from the dead — to the astonishment of everyone.
• The king who loved Daniel rejoiced — running to the pit before dawn, calling out in anguish. God the Father who loves his Son raised him to life and vindicated him before the world.

These parallels are not forced or artificial — they are woven into the narrative of Daniel by the Holy Spirit, pointing forward to the greater rescue that would come centuries later. And Alison Mitchell draws them out with a gentleness and clarity that young children can grasp, feel, and remember.

The Gospel Heart of the Whole Bible

What makes Jesus and the Lions’ Den more than a clever picture book is the theological vision that drives it. Alison Mitchell is not just trying to make Daniel more interesting by adding a Jesus connection. She is trying to do something with much larger implications: to help children see that the whole Bible is one story, that every part of it points to Jesus, and that understanding this changes how they read every page of Scripture for the rest of their lives.

The Bible tells one grand story about Jesus — and this book is one of the most accessible and effective tools available for helping very young children begin to see and feel that truth.

An Award-Winning Book From a Million-Copy Series

Jesus and the Lions’ Den is an award-winning book from one of the most trusted and successful series in Christian children’s publishing. Over one million copies of the Tales That Tell The Truth series have been sold — a remarkable achievement that reflects the trust parents, churches, and children’s ministry workers around the world have placed in these books. This volume is consistently cited as one of the series’ most innovative and beloved titles.

What This Book Covers

• The story of Daniel and the Lions’ Den, retold faithfully for children aged 3–6
• Daniel’s faithfulness in prayer despite the king’s decree — and God’s faithfulness to Daniel
• The den of lions — the sealing of the pit and the miraculous rescue
• The king’s joy and the proclamation that God is the real King of everyone everywhere
• The hidden lion symbols — inviting children to spot the Jesus moments throughout the story
• The explicit parallels between Daniel and Jesus — innocence, condemnation, the sealed pit, and the resurrection
• The gospel heart of the whole Bible — every Old Testament story pointing forward to Jesus

What Children Will Discover

• That the story of Daniel is more than a story about courage and prayer — it points to Jesus
• How to spot Jesus moments in Old Testament stories — a skill that transforms Bible reading for life
• The remarkable parallels between Daniel’s rescue and the death and resurrection of Jesus
• That the whole Bible is one story about Jesus — from the very first page to the very last
• That God is faithful — to Daniel, to Jesus, and to everyone who trusts in him
• A love for the Old Testament nurtured through the exciting discovery that it is full of Jesus

Who Should Read This Book

• Parents of children aged 3–6 wanting to help their children read the Bible as one connected story about Jesus
• Grandparents and family members looking for a theologically rich and beautifully illustrated Christian gift
• Sunday school and children’s ministry leaders wanting a resource that teaches Christological Bible reading to young children
• Churches in India building a library of gospel-centred picture books that cover Old Testament narratives
• Families already working through the Tales That Tell The Truth series together
• Parents wanting a book that goes beyond moral lessons to show children the gospel in the Old Testament
• Anyone who has ever told children the story of Daniel and wants to show them the Jesus hidden inside it

What Endorsers Are Saying

“The title tells the whole tale — Jesus and the Lions’ Den. This story comes to life to show how Jesus is the King of everyone everywhere. Alison Mitchell knows God and she knows kids.” — Endorser

“Vivid, lively, thoughtful and perceptive.” — Barbara Reaoch, Former Director, Children’s Division, Bible Study FellowshiP

“A captivating book that will leave children — and adults too — with a bigger view of Jesus. I absolutely love this.” — Jonty Allcock, Pastor

About the Author

Alison Mitchell is a Senior Editor at The Good Book Company, where she has worked for over twenty years on a range of products including Bible-reading notes for children and families, and the Christianity Explored range of resources. She is the author of The Christmas Promise, The Storm That Stopped, The One O’Clock Miracle, and several other titles in the Tales That Tell The Truth series. Her writing is consistently praised for its biblical faithfulness, its warmth for young readers, and its rare ability to make the deep things of Scripture accessible and exciting for children aged 3–6. Jesus and the Lions’ Den is among her most celebrated and award-winning works — a book that has helped countless children begin to see the gospel heart of the whole Bible.

About the Illustrator

Catalina Echeverri is the acclaimed illustrator of the entire Tales That Tell The Truth series from The Good Book Company. Her distinctive, vibrant, and emotionally expressive artistic style brings the world of Daniel — the court of Babylon, the den of lions, the dawn of rescue — to vivid, beautiful life. The hidden lion symbols woven through her illustrations make the book not just beautiful but genuinely interactive, turning the artwork into an invitation for discovery rather than simply a backdrop for the text.

About the Tales That Tell The Truth Series

Jesus and the Lions’ Den is part of the Tales That Tell The Truth series — a collection of beautifully illustrated hardback storybooks for young children published by The Good Book Company, with over one million copies sold. Each book retells a story from the Bible with faithfulness to the text, depth of gospel content, and stunning full-colour artwork by Catalina Echeverri. Other titles available through For The Truth include