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Part of the Tales That Tell the Truth Series
Do you have a favourite colour? A favourite food? A favourite game? Having favourites is perfectly normal — until it comes to people. And that is exactly what the letter of James warns us about. God's family has no favourites. Jesus welcomes anyone who comes to him, whatever they look like, wherever they come from, however much or little they have. And his people are called to do the same.
The Big Wide Welcome Storybook helps children aged 3–6 discover this beautiful truth — through a warm, engaging story rooted firmly in Scripture and brought to life in gloriously colourful illustrations.
The Big Wide Welcome Storybook is part of the beloved Tales That Tell the Truth series by The Good Book Company — a series with over one million copies sold worldwide. Written by Trillia J. Newbell, bestselling author of God's Very Good Idea, this hardback Bible storybook takes the teaching of James chapter 2 on favouritism and makes it vivid, accessible, and deeply gospel-rooted for young children.
The story explains what was happening in James's church — where some people were welcomed warmly and others were pushed aside based on their appearance or wealth — and shows children what that kind of favouritism looks like today. More than just a lesson in kindness, it roots the call to welcome others in the person and welcome of Jesus himself: the one who knows that every person needs rescuing from sin, and who holds out his arms to anyone who asks to be his friend.
Unlike secular picture books about kindness and inclusiveness, which tend to be very abstract and can't anchor their positive messages in a higher reality, this book shares concrete, specific, and vivid examples of both favouritism and welcoming love — and provides a reasoned explanation for why everyone matters, instead of just making the assertion.
A companion colouring and activity book is also available at forthetruth.in for further creative engagement with the story.
Rooted in Scripture, not just sentiment — This is not simply a story about being kind. It takes children to James 2 and helps them understand what the Bible actually teaches about favouritism — why it is wrong, what it looks like, and what the gospel-shaped alternative is. The message has roots, and children will feel it.
Jesus is the hero — At the heart of the book is the welcome of Jesus himself. Children learn that Jesus welcomes all kinds of people — and that following him means doing the same. The call to welcome is never left as a moral demand but always grounded in what Jesus has done first.
Beautifully illustrated by Catalina Echeverri — Echeverri's warm, lively illustrations are full of people of all kinds — different faces, different backgrounds, different stories — gathered together in the welcome of Jesus. Her work is expressive, colourful, and deeply resonant for young children.
Concrete and relatable — Newbell uses real, child-level examples of favouritism and welcome that young children will recognise immediately. The story does not talk past them; it meets them exactly where they are.
Hardback and gift-quality — Built to last through years of reading and rereading, and beautiful enough to give as a gift.
Parents of children aged 3–6 who want to help their children develop a Christ-centred understanding of welcome, inclusion, and the love that sees all people as made in God's image and loved by Jesus.
Families navigating diverse communities — in cities, multicultural neighbourhoods, or international schools — who want to give their children a biblical foundation for how they relate to people who are different from them.
Sunday school teachers and children's ministry leaders wanting a high-quality, theologically grounded resource for teaching young children about belonging, welcome, and the heart of Jesus.
Parents of children who have experienced exclusion — this book gives children a vision of a community where no one is left out, anchored in the welcome of Jesus himself.
Anyone looking for a meaningful, beautiful gift for a young child at a birthday, baptism, baby dedication, or Christmas — a book that will shape how a child sees other people for years to come.
Trillia J. Newbell is a prominent Christian author, speaker, and Bible teacher, and a recognised voice on issues of faith, family, and diversity. She is an Acquisitions Editor at Moody Publishers and has been widely published on platforms including Desiring God, Christianity Today, and The Gospel Coalition. She is the author of several adult books including Sacred Endurance, If God Is For Us, and Fear and Faith, as well as the bestselling children's book God's Very Good Idea. Trillia lives near Nashville with her husband Thern and their children.
Catalina Echeverri is a Colombian freelance illustrator specialising in children's books, based in London. She studied Graphic Design in Milan and Children's Book Illustration in Cambridge before settling in the UK. She is the illustrator of the bestselling The Garden, The Curtain and the Cross in the Tales That Tell the Truth series, and her warmly expressive, vividly colourful artwork is recognisable across the series.
The Big Wide Welcome Storybook is part of the Tales That Tell the Truth series by The Good Book Company — one of the most celebrated children's Christian publishing series in the world, with over one million copies sold.
Every book in the series tells a true story from the Bible or about the Christian faith in a way that is faithful, accessible, and beautifully illustrated. The series includes titles for a range of ages and covers the breadth of the Bible's great themes — from creation and the cross to prayer, heaven, and the church.
A companion Big Wide Welcome Art and Activity Book is also available at forthetruth.in — packed with puzzles, colouring pages, and activities for ages 4–8 to go deeper with the story.
Look for the full Tales That Tell the Truth collection at forthetruth.in.
