Reviews of The Temple Curtain
Pastor: "A wonderful, colorful journey into biblical history. In telling a good story, the author is also striving to be historically accurate and biblically sound. The illustrations are colorful. The story is exciting, and this little book covers a lot of ground . . . a gift to children."
4th grade teacher: I've used this book as a read-aloud in the week or two before Easter with my 4th graders.There is a lot of text per illustration, but my students don't need to look at it the whole time. We pause to look at the illustrations from time to time, so for us it reads more like a short chapter book. My students are old enough to pick up on the many cultural and religious traditions woven into the story which add meaning to the important events of Holy Week.
School Principal: The Temple Curtain written by Ruth DeYoung was a wonderful resource for our annual school-wide Easter Celebration! Each teacher was given a copy of this picture-perfect book to read with their students. The Temple Curtain is crammed full of excellent information. We allowed 2 weeks for the complete reading of the book. Classes absorbed the information and the story at their own level and in their own timing.
During the Easter season, students are particularly curious about Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. The character of twelve-year- old Nathan resonated strongly with the younger students.
On Good Friday, all of the classes circulated from classroom to classroom with activities in each room related to the story. The teacher were inspired by activities on the author's website. The culmination was entering the chapel in the dark and experiencing a re-enactment of the tearing of the temple curtain. Students, teacher, and parents were moved by the experience. Many had tears in their eyes, knowing from the book that that tearing of the curtain was a sign that Jesus' death on the cross had broken the sin barrier between God and his people.
Reviewer for Readers' Favorite (Good Reads):"The Temple Curtain is a beautifully illustrated book about Nathan, a 12-year-old boy living in Jerusalem during biblical times. The illustrations are remarkable and have such a wonderful color and tone. I absolutely loved this story and wanted to cry when Jesus healed Nathan and when Nathan's heart was so touched when he heard about what they were planning to do to Jesus. The Temple Curtain is a fantastic Christian historical fiction book for families to read together or for use in children's bible study at church. I am going to tell everyone I know about The Temple Curtain and encourage them to read it."
Mother of Four: This book is great! It is well written, and beautifully illustrated. We picked this up earlier this week and my 4th grader has enjoyed the first few chapters already. I also plan to use this as a read aloud book for my younger kids because the pictures will help get them into the story line. It is a great resource.
Christian school principal: "It is a great story. I was impressed with the combination of biblical accuracy and creativity. The characters, setting and plot create an interesting story."
Christian school librarian: The Temple Curtain grabs your attention from the very beginning and brings the story of Jesus to life.We hear the story from the perspective of a young boy and his family who experience Jesus' love personally, along with witnessing the power of Jesus through his death. This story helps us ponder what Jesus did for us and what and what we should do with the calling he gives us."
Krakus review: These Bible stories are skillfully brought to life with words and pictures.
7th grade student: "My favorite part of the book was when robbers came and Nathan cleverly tricked them into thinking that he was all by himself and had no money. I learned that the daylight turned to darkness when Jesus was dying on the cross. The Temple Curtain is a very creative, educational story that can teach people all over to meet their Savior."
4th grade teacher: I've used this book as a read-aloud in the week or two before Easter with my 4th graders.There is a lot of text per illustration, but my students don't need to look at it the whole time. We pause to look at the illustrations from time to time, so for us it reads more like a short chapter book. My students are old enough to pick up on the many cultural and religious traditions woven into the story which add meaning to the important events of Holy Week.
School Principal: The Temple Curtain written by Ruth DeYoung was a wonderful resource for our annual school-wide Easter Celebration! Each teacher was given a copy of this picture-perfect book to read with their students. The Temple Curtain is crammed full of excellent information. We allowed 2 weeks for the complete reading of the book. Classes absorbed the information and the story at their own level and in their own timing.
During the Easter season, students are particularly curious about Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. The character of twelve-year- old Nathan resonated strongly with the younger students.
On Good Friday, all of the classes circulated from classroom to classroom with activities in each room related to the story. The teacher were inspired by activities on the author's website. The culmination was entering the chapel in the dark and experiencing a re-enactment of the tearing of the temple curtain. Students, teacher, and parents were moved by the experience. Many had tears in their eyes, knowing from the book that that tearing of the curtain was a sign that Jesus' death on the cross had broken the sin barrier between God and his people.
Reviewer for Readers' Favorite (Good Reads):"The Temple Curtain is a beautifully illustrated book about Nathan, a 12-year-old boy living in Jerusalem during biblical times. The illustrations are remarkable and have such a wonderful color and tone. I absolutely loved this story and wanted to cry when Jesus healed Nathan and when Nathan's heart was so touched when he heard about what they were planning to do to Jesus. The Temple Curtain is a fantastic Christian historical fiction book for families to read together or for use in children's bible study at church. I am going to tell everyone I know about The Temple Curtain and encourage them to read it."
Mother of Four: This book is great! It is well written, and beautifully illustrated. We picked this up earlier this week and my 4th grader has enjoyed the first few chapters already. I also plan to use this as a read aloud book for my younger kids because the pictures will help get them into the story line. It is a great resource.
Christian school principal: "It is a great story. I was impressed with the combination of biblical accuracy and creativity. The characters, setting and plot create an interesting story."
Christian school librarian: The Temple Curtain grabs your attention from the very beginning and brings the story of Jesus to life.We hear the story from the perspective of a young boy and his family who experience Jesus' love personally, along with witnessing the power of Jesus through his death. This story helps us ponder what Jesus did for us and what and what we should do with the calling he gives us."
Krakus review: These Bible stories are skillfully brought to life with words and pictures.
7th grade student: "My favorite part of the book was when robbers came and Nathan cleverly tricked them into thinking that he was all by himself and had no money. I learned that the daylight turned to darkness when Jesus was dying on the cross. The Temple Curtain is a very creative, educational story that can teach people all over to meet their Savior."
Pastor: We used this at our church for children's Lent devotions and it was well-received. Great resource that is imaginative, historically accurate, and faithful.
From a review in Christian Home & School magazine (Fall, 2014): This historical fiction . . .book is a rare treat. It . . . holds a rare amount of interesting dialogue and curious details that will intrigue both children and parent readers. From the tearing of the curtain in the temple at the moment of Jesus' death . . .to fleeing Jerusalem because of persecution, the book brings the Bible to life. This is a great book to read when studying about temples and the Easter story, with many ideas for activities in art, creative writing, drama, and discussion with young readers at www.RuthDeYoung.com.