In a World Full of Gods — Which One Is Real?

Even young children are growing up in a world of many beliefs. Friends at nursery come from different faiths. Questions come early — Who made the world? Is God real? Which God? How do you know?

These are not questions to dodge or delay. They are questions to answer — clearly, confidently, and in language even the youngest children can understand.

The God Contest does exactly that. Written by Carl Laferton — part of the team behind the bestselling The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross — and brought to vivid life by the stunning illustrations of Catalina Echeverri, this beautiful hardback storybook for children aged 3–6 takes young readers on an extraordinary journey through two of history's most dramatic moments, and invites them to draw their own conclusion: the God of the Bible is the one true God — and joining Team Jesus is the best decision anyone can make.

Two Mountains. Two Contests. One Conclusion.

The book unfolds in two acts, each set on a mountain, each centred on a contest that changed everything.

Mount Carmel — the God Contest with Elijah

First, children are transported back to the dramatic confrontation on Mount Carmel, where the prophet Elijah faced the prophets of Baal in one of the most gripping scenes in the entire Old Testament. Two altars. Two gods. One challenge: whichever god answers by fire — he is the real God.

The prophets of Baal call and dance and shout — and nothing happens. Elijah calls once on the God of the Bible — and fire falls from heaven and consumes everything. The God of Israel proved himself to be real, present, and powerful in the most unmistakable way imaginable.

The Empty Mountain — the God Contest at the Tomb

Then the story fast-forwards to a different mountain — or rather, to a garden cut into rock — where another contest is taking place. Jesus has died. He has been sealed in a tomb. His enemies believe they have won.

And then the tomb is found empty. Jesus is alive. Death itself has been defeated. The God of the Bible has proved himself again — not just as the God who sends fire from heaven but as the God who conquers death and offers life to everyone who trusts in his Son.

An Invitation to Join Team Jesus

What makes this book genuinely distinctive is not just its dramatic retelling of two extraordinary biblical events but its invitation. After examining the evidence from both mountain contests, the book turns to its young readers and invites them — in a world of so many options and so many claimed truths — to decide with confidence to join Team Jesus.

This is age-appropriate apologetics at its very best: not arguing at children but showing them the evidence, helping them think, and warmly inviting them to respond. It is the kind of book that can genuinely shape how a child understands truth, faith, and the identity of Jesus from the very earliest years.

Stunning Illustrations by Catalina Echeverri

As with every book in the Tales That Tell The Truth series, the illustrations are a defining feature. Catalina Echeverri's artwork brings the drama of Mount Carmel and the wonder of the empty tomb to life with her distinctive, vibrant, and emotionally expressive style — making this a book that children will return to again and again, drawn back by the beauty and energy of every page.

The contrast between the chaos and desperation of the Baal prophets and the calm, confident prayer of Elijah; the darkness of the sealed tomb and the blazing light of resurrection morning — Echeverri renders both with visual power that stays with young readers long after the book is closed.

What This Book Covers

An introduction to the challenge young children face growing up in a world of many beliefs and many claimed gods
The biblical account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel — the first God contest
How Yahweh, the God of the Bible, proved himself to be the one true God by sending fire from heaven
The death and resurrection of Jesus — the second God contest at the empty tomb
How the resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate proof that the God of the Bible is real, alive, and victorious
An invitation for children to examine the evidence and choose with confidence to join Team Jesus
Stunning full-colour illustrations by Catalina Echeverri throughout

What Children Will Discover

That there are many claimed gods in the world — but only one who has proved himself to be real and true
That the God of the Bible showed his power dramatically on Mount Carmel through Elijah
That Jesus's resurrection from the dead is the ultimate proof that God is real and that Jesus is his Son
That faith in Jesus is not a blind leap but a confident response to real evidence
That in a world of many options, choosing Team Jesus is not just one choice among many — it is the right one
That the Old Testament and the New Testament tell one connected story about the same God proving himself again and again

Who Should Read This Book

Parents of children aged 3–6 wanting to give their children a confident, evidence-based foundation for Christian faith
Families in pluralistic contexts — including India — where children regularly encounter friends from different religious backgrounds
Sunday school and children's ministry leaders wanting a resource that engages questions about who God is
Grandparents and family members looking for a beautifully produced, theologically rich Christian gift book
Churches running children's evangelism programmes or outreach events for young families
Christian parents wanting a book that helps their children understand why the God of the Bible is the one true God
Anyone wanting a storybook that goes beyond simply telling Bible stories to helping children think about truth and faith

About the Author

Carl Laferton is Editorial and Content Director at The Good Book Company and one of the most trusted voices in contemporary evangelical children's publishing. He is the author of The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross — one of the bestselling Tales That Tell The Truth titles — as well as several other widely-used children's and adult Christian resources. His writing is known for combining biblical faithfulness with genuine accessibility and a warm, inviting tone that works equally well for children and the grown-ups reading to them. In The God Contest, he brings his gifts as a storyteller and theologian together to address one of the most pressing questions children face in a pluralistic world: which God — if any — is real?

About the Illustrator

Catalina Echeverri is the acclaimed illustrator of the entire Tales That Tell The Truth series from The Good Book Company. She is also the author and illustrator of several bestselling children's books in her own right. Her distinctive, vibrant, and emotionally expressive artistic style has made the Tales That Tell The Truth series one of the most visually beautiful collections of Christian picture books available for young children — and her contribution to The God Contest is among her most dramatic and powerful work in the series.

About the Tales That Tell The Truth Series

The God Contest 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. Each book retells a story or truth from the Bible with faithfulness to the text, depth of gospel content, and stunning full-colour artwork by Catalina Echeverri. The series has become one of the most trusted and beloved collections of Christian children's picture books in the world, used by families, Sunday schools, and children's ministries across the globe — including a growing readership in India and South Asia.

Other titles in the series include: