Before ever having read The Prince’s Poison Cup, I had enjoyed yet another allegory by the same author-illustrator team of R.C Sproul and Justin Gerard, a book titled The Priest with Dirty Clothes. I was so amazed at the quality of storytelling and illustrations in that book, that I just had to get Poison Cup and add it to my collection as well. Once again, Sproul wields his talent for relating deep, spiritual truths to young minds in a fantastic, fairy-tale style that feeds not only the children’s natural imaginations but also their souls.
In this story, Sproul develops a panoramic view of the Gospel, from Garden to eternal Heaven, in the story of a King whose rebellious people return to Him only when His own Son intentionally drinks the people’s poisoned water, ultimately dying, coming back to life, and changing the poisoned water to fresh. Sproul’s development of story matched with Gerard’s development of character make for a beautiful storybook for children of all ages.
At the end of the book, Sproul also offers the parents a list of spiritual questions based off the story to ask their children, depending on their levels of understanding. Each question smartly lays out the foundation of atonement and sacrifice by answering all questions with Bible verses alone. Parents will find such a resource a great help as their children seek to understand the purposes behind the actions of all the book’s characters.
I strongly recommend this book to all parents who love reading to their children, and ask us all to consider—what better way to send our children off to sleep at night than with thoughts of a Prince who tasted death so that His people might live?
[Editor’s Note: Another great book in this mini-series is The Lightlings.]
©2011 E.T.
Read More from R.C. Sproul
- The Holiness of God (1985)
- The Priest with Dirty Clothes (1997)
- 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow (2002)
- The Dark Side of Islam (2003)
- The Lightlings (2006)
- The Prince’s Poison Cup (2008)
- Believing God (2009)
- John (2009)
- Sola Scriptura (2009)
- R.C. Sproul: A Life (2021; by Stephen J. Nichols)