Emily Stimpson Chapman; Illustrated by Diana Renzina
Reviewed by Sarah Rose Bort

As I look at our tattered children’s Bible, memories of poring over its pages as a young girl flood my mind. Back then, the stories seemed almost like fairy tales—of promise-signaling rainbows, trumpets that break down walls, young girls who become queens, and dream-interpreting men. What I didn’t realize until years later, however, is how watered down these children’s bibles can be. Last summer, I decided to take an alternative road by dusting off our RSV version, starting with Genesis, and reading a chapter to my children each day. You can imagine how long this lasted with three children under the age of five. “Where are the pictures, mommy?” “What is a serpent?” “What KIND of fruit was it?” These are just a few of the questions that halted my every 10 words, prompting my abandonment of a short-lived goal. There had to be a balance between reading the entire Pentateuch to preschoolers and leaving them believing a cartooned version, right?

Enter The Story of All Stories: A Story Bible for Young Catholics, written by Emily Stimpson Chapman and published by Word on Fire! Beautifully decorated with countless illustrations by Diana Renzina, every page captures the attention of each listening ear (including my husband’s). This has become the highlight of our evening routine. Our first grader and preschooler wait with bated breath for the next story, and their cries for “One more chapter!” when I replace the silk bookmark always make me smile. As a former theology teacher, I love the last page of each chapter, which summarizes key points and connects them to Church teaching or other parts of the Bible. This is essentially typography for kids—showing how events in the Old Testament prepared the people of God for the coming of Christ. Additionally, quotes from the Fathers and Doctors of the Church are woven throughout each Biblical narrative.

What sets The Story of All Stories apart from other child-focused Bibles lies in its heart. Other children’s Bibles often have multiple books of the Bible summarized onto one page, omitting key facts and people. While they follow the Bible’s general timeline, they do not help children learn the intentional order of Scripture. The Story of All Stories delves much deeper into salvation history, using a lens of adventure to discover often-skipped-over plots and figures from both the Old and New Testaments. In reading this Bible to my children or letting them read it when they are of age, I am confident they are truly receiving this element of the Deposit of Faith in its fullness.

The lovely illustrations, coupled with the sound content, set the tone to enable each child to encounter their Creator with childlike wonder and amazement, in whatever way He chooses to speak to them at that time. This Bible will be read and reread by our family for years to come. And it makes a perfect baptismal or first Communion gift!

In a world that loves to bombard us with content that damages our children’s souls, this invaluable resource introduces them to what truly is the Story of All Stories. Let us, then, sit back and be inspired by their faith, as Christ meets them on these beautifully gilded pages! 

A mother of four young children, Sarah Rose Bort is a graduate of Franciscan University. She is passionate about bringing people to encounter Christ through the true, the beautiful, and the good.

$49.95
The Story of all Stories: A Story Bible for Young Catholics

Emily Stimpson Chapman; Illustrated by Diana Renzina

Word on Fire Votive | 496 pages

This article appeared in the March 2026 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.