Young Readers Christian Library: Esther

Young Readers Christian Library

by Susan Martins Miller

Esther was in the court of King Xerxes and acted bravely to save the Jewish people from death.

Genres: Childrens, Christian, Religion, Biblical Fiction

Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

Reviews

[ashes ➷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so cute! I always love this style of book (unsure if there's a name for the distinct square, illustrated-on-every-page adaptations of classics, but this is the second time I've seen a 'series' with those exact qualities), and since Esther is my favorite Biblical story, I figured I should give this a shot.

Verdict: Slightly off-center in terms of historical accuracy, though I'm sure some of that comes down to interpretations and commentary-- there's an added character of a best friend for Esther, and a moment where Mordechai is... beaten by soldiers? Yeah, it's weird. That said, multiple places had translations so exact that I could... well, tell that they were exact. That's pretty awesome for an adaptation for kids.

That said, you can imagine how much Haman (ironically) is drawn like an anti-Semitic caricature-- all spiky angles and pointy nose. Was very odd to read in this specific context, so I felt the need to mention it.

But, all in all, pretty adorable rendition. If this is how Christians interpret the Megillah, I'm cool with it.

[Chewie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is based on the story of Queen Esther from The Bible. She was married to King Xerxes of Persia. Haman, the King's royal adviser, wanted to eliminate the Jews. So, Esther came up with a plan to save her people.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I read this. It woulda been a long time ago so I don't remember.
If I did read it, than I'm sure it's good.

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 2 out of 5]

A children's version of the story of Esther

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites when I was young. I really liked the way they retold this story; it made a great Bible story into a novel.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books to read as a child. It is easy to understand and I always enjoyed looking at the pictures.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beautiful story of Queen Esther simply written to be enjoyed by younger readers.

[Danae Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure that some of the details of the story are historically accurate though I know some of it comes down to personl imagination, but Iove the message at the end.