The Prince's Poison Cup
With The Prince’s Poison Cup, Dr. R.C. Sproul continues his series of books designed to present deep biblical truths to children on their own level. In this work, he focuses in on the atonement to show that Jesus had to endure the curse of sin in order to redeem His people from their spiritual death.
When Ella gets sick and has to take yucky medicine, she wonders why something that will help her get well has to taste so bad. When she puts the question to Grandpa, he tells her the story of a great King and His subjects who enjoyed wonderful times together―until the people rebelled against the King and drank from a forbidden well. To their horror, they found that the beautiful water in the well made their hearts turn to stone. To reclaim His people, the King asks His Son, the Prince, to drink from a well of horrid poison. The poison will surely kill the Prince―but He is willing to drink it to please His Father and help His people.
Richly illustrated, The Prince’s Poison Cup will help children appreciate the great love of God for His people and the awful price Jesus had to pay because of sin. A “For Parents” section provides assistance in unfolding the biblical elements of the story.
Reviews (207)
Amazing Children's Book
The Prince’s Poison Cup written by R.C. Sproul and published by Reformation Trust Publishing, and is one of the children’s titles currently offered under this publisher. Dr. Sproul is world renowned for works on Reformed Theology and Apologetics aimed at adults but The Prince’s Poison Cup is uniquely aimed at conveying the truths of scripture to very young children. The Prince’s Poison Cup has two major strengths: the story and the illustration. With regard to the story, The Prince’s Poison Cup, takes a ‘Princess Bride’ approach to storytelling, a story within a story if you will. While this approach can get confusing or exhausting in other works, that cannot be said of The Prince’s Poison Cup, which is fast paced, sharp, and witty. With regard to communicating the truths of God’s Word, Dr. Sproul goes to great lengths to communicate to young children the Gospel starting with original sin, the need of a savior, and the provision of the savior in Jesus within a unique allegorical tale. With regard to the illustration, The Prince’s Poison Cup has vivid colors and is masterfully drawn so that it not only captures a child’s attention but their imagination as well. Furthermore the illustrations not only illustrate the allegorical tale but progress the story in a way words cannot do. If you are looking to purchase The Prince’s Poison Cup, it is a delightfully articulated and beautifully illustrated book; the audience is for ages 3 to 7, yet when I read it to my daughter (age under 2) she was captivated the entire time. This book was provided to me free of charge from Reformation Trust Publishing in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
Good Book to Read to Your Children
R. C. Sproul has written several children's books. I have been aware of them for some years, but since our children are grown and grand children are not yet on the scene, I have not had a reason to purchase one of the book. I do intend to purchase all of them once grand children are on the scene!! We purchased THE PRINCE'S POISON CUP for a young boy who is being adopted. There was a shower for the family and we were asked to bring a children's book as part of the celebration. This was our chance to purchase one of Sproul's children's books. When it arrived I read the book from cover to cover. The art is decent, and the story flows along very well. It is a religious book, of course, so behind the story is the Bible's teaching on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of mankind. It is a story that is especially good to read to your child. You can pause along the way to look at the pictures and talk about them. There are many interesting things in the pictures. At the end of the book the parent will find a discussion guide to help talk through the biblical teaching of the Jesus' atonement in terms that the child can understand. There are a set of questions with Bible verses as answers. I think this is probably a book that parents will enjoy reading to their child at many ages. It is also a nice way to instruct one's child in one of the important biblical teachings.
Nice story, too many typos!
The story is short and sweet, a simple allegory of Christ’s love for people and His willingness to die for all mankind. But the text needs a thorough editing job. Lots and lots of typos, especially in the Q & A section that follows the story, make for a confusing read. I hope the publisher will clean up the text and provide an updated version soon.
This is an excellent portrayal of the relationship of God the father and ...
This is an excellent portrayal of the relationship of God the father and Jesus and the work that was done on the cross. I read the story to my 3-year old and when I was done I asked, 'Who was this story really about?' She thought for a second and said 'Jesus'! I would recommend buying an actual book. The kindle version text and illustrations do not correlate well (I.e. There will be pages of text with no pictures and then several pictures in a row). The illustrations are beautiful too.
Wonderful book
This book is terrific and would appeal to both girls and boys. The illustrations are beautiful. It's a treasure.
My Children Love it - and so do I
After reading the reviews, I decided to purchase this book for my girls (ages 4 and 8). Dr. Sproul does an amazing job portraying the Gospel in a way that even a child can understand. Both of my girls love this book, and repetedly ask me to read it to them, especially my 4 year old. Durring the first reading, my 8 year old daughter actually stopped me, and asked me if she could tell me what the story was about... She Got it! I highly reccomend this book for your own children, and to give as gifts to others.
Beautiful Illustration and Allegory story
What a beautiful story. From the illustrations to the way it was written. I read to my almost 4 year old and although it may be geared for more older kids there are a lot of great notes in the back for explaining the gospel in detail with scripture references. Great resource! The illustrations may be scary for some sensitive younger children...but I find it very moving...the kind of book an adult enjoys as well.
Creation, Fall, Redemption
We own four of R. C. Sproul's children's books. This is probably one of my favorite (although I like all of them very much). This is the story of a people created, a people rebelled, and a King's Son who had to drink poison to save the world. It's beautiful. You see creation, fall, redemption, and it celebrates Jesus' obedience to God and his love for mankind. The illustrations are also well done.
A book with purpose
This is not your typical, fluffy, feelgood children's book. It does not hide sin and death, but instead seeks to make them more understandable to the young child. It is a book with purpose. This book is rife with opportunities to discuss difficult Christian concepts with children. An allegorical adaptation of the story of the cross, this piece covers such concepts as: the fall, the hard-heartedness of all humanity, the cost of sin, the necessity of the Son's sacrifice, redemption, God's goodness even when things seem bad, and Christ's resurrection, just to name a few. There is potential to discuss many more topics that are touched on in the book as well. I disagree with a previous reviewer, who felt that the points were not adequately clear. Truly good children's literature covers difficult concepts that cause children to ask questions and think for themselves. The idea is not for the child to sit alone in his or her room reading the book and fully understanding it, but for a parent to read it to them and guide them through the difficult parts. I think this book does this better than most. Without giving us all the answers, it allows the child to think and the parent to lead the child into a discussion of the real Prince, and the poison of our sin that he accepted on the Cross.
Bible centered interesting story!
As always, great and profound story based on the Bible. The print material was also impressive.
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