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Empty! : Celebrating the Risen Saviour
Some things in life are terrible when empty, such as piggy banks, cookie jars, and giftwrapped Christmas boxes. But empty can be amazingly good, like Saturday chore lists and that beehive you just bumped into. Two thousand years ago, outside Jerusalem, a group of people found a miraculously empty tomb—and the world has never been the same.
Join New York Times bestselling author Joshua Cooley in a funny, meaningful journey into Jesus’ empty tomb—the greatest empty in the history of emptiness!—and what it means for us today.
Join New York Times bestselling author Joshua Cooley in a funny, meaningful journey into Jesus’ empty tomb—the greatest empty in the history of emptiness!—and what it means for us today.
- GenresPicture Books
36 pages, Hardcover
Published January 21, 2025
7 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Cooley
17 books17 followersJoshua Cooley is a New York Times bestselling author who has authored or contributed to more than 20 books for kids, teens, and adults. His titles include Heroes of the Bible Devotional, Heroes of the Bible Devotional 2, Empty!, I Can't Believe My Eyes!, and The One Year Devotions with Jesus. In 2018, he teamed with Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles to co-author the star quarterback’s bestselling memoir, Believe It: My Journey of Success, Failure, and Overcoming the Odds. Joshua is also a frequent speaker at schools, churches, camps, retreats, conferences, and more. He lives in Durham, N.C. You can visit his website at http://www.joshuacooleyauthor.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 6, 2025
4/6/25 Read with my preschool class
April 1, 2026
A new Resurrection Day favorite!
Empty! by Joshua Cooley with illustrations by James Elston is guaranteed to keep your kids engaged while clearly displaying the gospel message in a simplistic and clever way for all ages to understand and enjoy!
This book starts out with a humorous tone looking at all the things that shouldn’t be empty- like cookie jars, piggy banks, and Christmas presents. Then we switch to things that we want empty- like homework folders, the trash can, and “that beehive you just bumped into” (that was my 7-year-old's favorite)!
Now that your kids will be captivated by the story, the author explains the best empty thing in the world that “can change your life forever!” Jesus’ EMPTY TOMB! Sin, forgiveness, and obedience are all touched on. Kids will clearly understand that an empty tomb means “Jesus defeated sin and death.” He loves us and that if we follow Him, we can live with our Lord and Savior forever!
“The tomb is EMPTY and Jesus is alive!” This is the greatest news of all time and this book will make kids feel so excited and blessed to share this message! The illustrations are bright, colorful and fun! This story is a joy to read aloud and perfect for the whole family!
My daughter and I had so much fun with this one! I highly recommend adding this one to your home libraries. It’s great for anytime of year!
*I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Empty! by Joshua Cooley with illustrations by James Elston is guaranteed to keep your kids engaged while clearly displaying the gospel message in a simplistic and clever way for all ages to understand and enjoy!
This book starts out with a humorous tone looking at all the things that shouldn’t be empty- like cookie jars, piggy banks, and Christmas presents. Then we switch to things that we want empty- like homework folders, the trash can, and “that beehive you just bumped into” (that was my 7-year-old's favorite)!
Now that your kids will be captivated by the story, the author explains the best empty thing in the world that “can change your life forever!” Jesus’ EMPTY TOMB! Sin, forgiveness, and obedience are all touched on. Kids will clearly understand that an empty tomb means “Jesus defeated sin and death.” He loves us and that if we follow Him, we can live with our Lord and Savior forever!
“The tomb is EMPTY and Jesus is alive!” This is the greatest news of all time and this book will make kids feel so excited and blessed to share this message! The illustrations are bright, colorful and fun! This story is a joy to read aloud and perfect for the whole family!
My daughter and I had so much fun with this one! I highly recommend adding this one to your home libraries. It’s great for anytime of year!
*I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
March 23, 2026
“In God’s big, beautiful world, EMPTY isn’t always bad.”
In a cute and comedic style, but without any talking down to the readers, the first half of this book defines “empty”, as well as the good and bad “empties” in the world as we know it. (Empty cookie jar, bad. Empty sink, good.)
The second half lays out the best “empty” there ever was — the empty tomb and Jesus death and resurrection. The word “sin” is not avoided and the gospel is very simply and clearly presented.
Content considerations…
- Images of Jesus
- The kids are pictured griping over the empty cookie jar and other such “empties”, not helpful for kids who are already whiny 😉
- Plenty of casual references to things “at school”, not bad but not very relatable to us homeschool families!
Overall sweet and well done book to celebrate the Resurrection.
Thanks to 10ofthose for the review copy.
In a cute and comedic style, but without any talking down to the readers, the first half of this book defines “empty”, as well as the good and bad “empties” in the world as we know it. (Empty cookie jar, bad. Empty sink, good.)
The second half lays out the best “empty” there ever was — the empty tomb and Jesus death and resurrection. The word “sin” is not avoided and the gospel is very simply and clearly presented.
Content considerations…
- Images of Jesus
- The kids are pictured griping over the empty cookie jar and other such “empties”, not helpful for kids who are already whiny 😉
- Plenty of casual references to things “at school”, not bad but not very relatable to us homeschool families!
Overall sweet and well done book to celebrate the Resurrection.
Thanks to 10ofthose for the review copy.
May 5, 2026
This is such a meaningful and child-friendly Easter (or anytime!) picture book.
I really loved the way this story introduces the concept of “empty” by connecting it to things kids already understand, like an empty piggy bank or an empty cookie jar. It’s such a simple and effective way to draw children in and get them thinking.
From there, the message gently shifts to the most important “empty” of all, the empty tomb. The book does a beautiful job of sharing the story of Jesus’ life, His love for us, and what the resurrection means in a way that feels accessible and engaging for young readers.
The illustrations are bright, expressive, and full of life, adding warmth and energy to the story.
A lovely addition to Easter collections for families, classrooms, and libraries looking for a faith-based picture book that’s easy for children to connect with.
I really loved the way this story introduces the concept of “empty” by connecting it to things kids already understand, like an empty piggy bank or an empty cookie jar. It’s such a simple and effective way to draw children in and get them thinking.
From there, the message gently shifts to the most important “empty” of all, the empty tomb. The book does a beautiful job of sharing the story of Jesus’ life, His love for us, and what the resurrection means in a way that feels accessible and engaging for young readers.
The illustrations are bright, expressive, and full of life, adding warmth and energy to the story.
A lovely addition to Easter collections for families, classrooms, and libraries looking for a faith-based picture book that’s easy for children to connect with.
April 25, 2026
An interesting concept for a children's book. The key idea is of emptiness, and how it can be bad or good. But in the case of Jesus's tomb, emptiness is the greatest news ever. He is not dead, he has risen! Clear presentation of the gospel in a way children can understand.
The only issue I would have with this book is that it is not clear what age group it is for. It seems to be intended for younger readers; however, the vocabulary is a little complex at times.
The only issue I would have with this book is that it is not clear what age group it is for. It seems to be intended for younger readers; however, the vocabulary is a little complex at times.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews