The
One O’Clock Miracle by Alison Mitchell and Illustrated
by Catalina Echeverri
This wonderfully written and illustrated
children’s book entitled The One O’Clock Miracle by Alison Mitchell and
Catalina Echeverri is a real treat for those interested in a retelling of John
4 and the Royal Official’s son and his healing.
With illustrations reminiscent of the pictures in The Jesus Storybook
Bible, illustrator Catalina Echeverri, the story of the Royal’s son comes to
life.
The writing and illustrations in The One O’Clock
miracle all hinge upon Jesus, not only that he healed the Royal’s son but that
he was God’s rescue King, the Son of God.
How do the author and illustrator point to Jesus in the story? For one, at many points in the story the
royal official was out of breath, but he kept continuing on his path because he
NEEDED to see Jesus and he MUST see Jesus.
The highlighted words bring out the necessity of the Royal official’s
plight to see Jesus. Even more, the
response of the Royal official to Jesus when he said, “Go,” helps us see that
the man thought without Jesus’ actual presence with his son, his son would not
be healed. Yet, the official hung onto
the words of Jesus that his son would live, for he believed Jesus.
The way in which the story ends with the royal
official rejoicing to hear of his son being healed at the same hour that he saw
Jesus, when Jesus said his son would live is truly an amazing end to the
retelling of John 4. The men of the community
come to meet the royal official and they are exclaiming that the son is alive
and well again, sending the father into a tizzy as he leaps off his feet. Alison at the end of the book highlights the
fact that Jesus spoke and the son was healed and this because Jesus was God’s
Son. She highlights the continuity that
God speaks, as in Genesis 1 and the world never the same after this event. The story ends with the royal official telling
his family what Jesus had done for him and them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and so did
my kindergarten daughter. She loved the
expressions on the boy’s face at the end of the story as well.
Thanks to Cross Focused Reviews and the good
book company for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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