GRAND RAPIDS, MI (ANS) -- British Emmy Award-winning actor David Suchet is the voice behind the new audio recording included in the Deluxe Edition of The Jesus Storybook Bible -- Every Story Whispers His Name by bestselling author Sally Lloyd-Jones, available in October 2009.

David Suchet as Hercule Poirot

According to a media release, the popular storybook Bible has become a favorite for readers of all ages -- pastors are using it to help them preach, children, seniors couples young families, educators and even theologians are reading it. The Jesus Storybook Bible has sold close to 200,000 copies since releasing in March 2007 and has consistently appeared on the CBA Bestseller list.

The Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition (ISBN: 978-0-310-71878-9, $24.99, Hardcover) is beautifully crafted in a keepsake box that includes three audio CDs featuring the full narration of 46 stories by actor David Suchet.

"We are honored to have the privilege of including David Suchet‘s amazing voice on audio CDs to make this deluxe edition shine," says Zonderkidz Senior Vice President and Publisher Annette Bourland. "The Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition will make a wonderful gift and is sure to become a family treasure."

"Zonderkidz is very excited about the success of The Jesus Storybook Bible. It has truly inspired people from all walks of life," Bourland adds. "Every week we track dozens of online reviews and blog recommendations from parents, educators, pastors, and even theology students. This book is becoming a part of church small groups and family devotions. It‘s incredible to see so many people rallying around a children‘s storybook Bible."

Written for children ages 4 and up, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the story underneath all the stories of the Bible and points to the birth of a child, the Rescuer, Jesus. The text is faithful to the Bible, while guiding children and parents through -- redemptive historical meaning: using the entire Bible to reveal God‘s plan to send Jesus -- in a way that readers of all ages can comprehend.

"When I was little, I thought the Bible was a book of rules I had to follow so God would love me. The Bible does have rules in it of course. But the Bible isn't mainly about me and what I should be doing. It's about God and what He has done. The Bible isn‘t mainly a book of rules, it's a story – the wonderful story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them," says Sally Lloyd-Jones.

"It takes the whole Bible to tell this story, and at the center of the story there is a baby, the child upon whom everything would depend. Every single story in the Bible whispers his name."

The Jesus Storybook Bible paints a beautiful portrait of Jesus and invites children to see that not only is he at the center of God‘s great story of redemption -- he is at the center of their story too. Children and adults alike will be captivated by the beautifully-written narrative and the original and unique illustrations by accomplished artist Jago. Lloyd-Jones' powerful gift as a storyteller draws the reader into this greatest of all adventures with an exciting page-turner that kids (and adults) find hard to put down.

"As with all children's books, the text was written to be read aloud -- so the audio edition is the perfect format for this story," Lloyd-Jones says.

"Not to mention the fact that it happens to be being read by a master storyteller, David Suchet!"

With The Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition, now this beloved book can be enjoyed in a whole new formread aloud by a talented, award-winning actor.

The Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition (ISBN: 978-0-310-71878-9, $24.99, Hardcover, Audio CDs) will be available wherever books are sold in October 2009. The audio will be available to download online: The Jesus Storybook Bible Audio Download (October 2009, ISBN: 978-0-310-29429-0, $16.99, Audio Download, Unabridged). Audio samples of Suchet‘s masterful narration are available now at www.zonderkidz.com .

The Jesus Storybook Bible (ISBN: 978-0-310-70825-7, $16.99, Hardcover) was first released in 2007. A Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner in the religion category, this first edition was featured in USA Today. The Ebook format (ISBN: 978-0-310-71751-5) is also available for $9.99. Biblia para niños – Historias de Jesús (ISBN: 978-0-829-75606-7, $16.99, Hardcover) is the Spanish edition of The Jesus Storybook Bible, a partnership between Zonderkidz and Editorial Vida, Zondervan‘s Spanish imprint.

Author Sally Lloyd-Jones is a leading writer of inspirational books for children, with an expertise in conveying biblical truth to young children. She is the author of three bestselling children‘s Bibles, including the Gold Book Award-winning Baby’s First Bible and, most recently, the Moonbeam Award Winner -- The Jesus Storybook Bible. She has written many books for children, including the critically acclaimed New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book of the Year, How to Be a Baby: By Me, the Big Sister.

A native of England, Sally now lives in New York City. For more information, visit www.sallylloyd-jones.com  

Illustrator Jago is an accomplished illustrator with several prestigious awards to his credit, including a Macmillian "Highly Commended" Award for Children‘s Illustration in 2003, an AOI Silver Award in 2004, and the National Literacy Association Wow! Award.

Jago lives in Cornwall, England, with his wife and daughter.

Narrator David Suchet is an award-winning British actor with several theatre, television, and film roles to his credit. The London-born actor is best known for his ongoing role as Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie‘s Poirot, a hugely popular series featuring the adventures of a beloved Belgian detective. When the first series was shown in 1989, the Sunday Telegraph wrote, "David Suchet‘s Poirot has eclipsed performances by Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney!"

Suchet‘s television credits include roles in the BBC‘s series Oppenheimer, Freud in The Life of Freud, Blott in Blott on the Landscape, and John Borne in the BBC‘s The NCS (National Crime Squad). David starred as Baron Stockmar in the epic drama Victoria & Albert, as Edward Palmer in Murder in Mind BBC and Melmotte, and in Anthony Trollope‘s The Way We Live Now. In 2006, he also played Van Helsing in Dracula-a 90 minute single screenplay for the BBC.

His film credits include The In-Laws with Michael Douglas, Executive Decision with Kurt Russell, A Perfect Murder with Michael Douglas, and the independent film Sunday, which won the Best Film award at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. David has lent his talented vocal skills as a narrator in the well-known animation Arthur & The Invisibles and the DreamWorks smash hit Flushed Away.

Suchet began his acting career in theatre at the young age of 17. Throughout his career, he has performed numerous award-winning roles on stage including George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Achilles in Troilus and Cressida, Caliban in The Tempest, Mercutio and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Orlando in As You Like It, Iago in Othello, The Professor in Oleanna, Timon in Timon of Athens, Jo Green in Separation, and most recently Antonio Salieri in Amadeus and Cardinal Benelli in The Last Confession.

Suchet has won and been nominated for numerous film, television, and theatre awards. He has been honored with Best Actor awards from the International Emmy Awards, Variety Club Awards, Royal Television Society, Critics‘ Circle Award, and the Marseilles Film Festival. He has been nominated for a TONY Award, BAFTA Television Awards, Olivier Awards, Evening Standard Awards, a Television & Radio Industries Club (TRIC) Award, an Ace Award, and a Broadcasting Press Guild Award. David has a great interest in the arts-he enjoys music, theatre, and nature. He is a proud supporter of restoring the canals of Great Britain. David lives in England with his wife, Sheila.

Critical Praise for The Jesus Storybook Bible

"I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian -- from pew warmers, to ministry leaders, seminarians and even theologians! Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God's revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning -- a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned." -- Dr. Timothy Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC.

"The Jesus Storybook Bible is unlike any other storybook. True, that‘s to be expected when you combine the mesmerizing illustrations of Jago and the award-winning writing of Sally Lloyd-Jones, a Brit with an uncanny knack for storytelling. Not only is each story vividly illustrated as it is portrayed, but also each tale is telling one Big Story -- the story of Jesus." -- More to Life Magazine.

"'The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name' disproves the adage that you can't judge a book by its cover. Jago's award-winning cover art is a foretaste of the whimsically insightful and richly colored drawings that await you on every one of the book's 351 pages. The illustrations alone are worth the price of the book...Jago the illustrator, and Sally Lloyd-Jones the author, are a good pair. She brings the same creativity and sense of humor to her telling of the Bible's stories...But Lloyd-Jones's writing isn't cutesy. She has a grasp of the profound. How does one explain to a child the agony of Jesus in Gethsemane, and his prayer of surrender to his Father? Lloyd-Jones does it as well as any biblical commentator...The title and subtitle are even better than the book's delightful illustrations and narrative -- because they provide, in one deft stroke, the interpretive key that unlocks the meaning of the whole Bible. 'The Jesus Storybook Bible' says it all: The Scriptures are not merely a collection of stories designed to teach moral lessons. As Jesus explained to the men walking the road to Emmaus on Resurrection Sunday, the whole Bible is about Jesus. In the words of the subtitle, every story whispers his name...Lloyd-Jones manages to show again and again the presence of Christ in all the Old Testament Scriptures, and the presence of the Old Testament Scriptures in the life of Christ." -- Christianity Today

What Readers Are Saying About The Jesus Storybook Bible

"This is an amazing, amazing children's storybook Bible. I have about 8-10 different children's Bibles and this one is by far our favorite. The way the author links all of scripture to Jesus speaks to ME personally, as well as to my children. It is heart-wrenching joy to watch my children's hearts soften as we read it. I had many Bible stories read to me as a child, and I only wish this had existed when I was young. I've watched my 5 year-old go from hating to read the Bible to begging me to read 'just one more story' at night - all because of this book."

"I love every aspect of this Bible. The illustrations by Jago are both charming and intriguing…The text itself is exactly what I want my children to hear, theologically. I love this line from the very first chapter, 'The Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.' AMEN."

"This is a great primer for children in the general power of narrative and the specific beauty of God's redemptive history. Even my 2.5-year-old loves having these stories read to him, and he doesn't have an exceptionally long attention span for such stuff. This book is a treat for our family--worshipful for all ages."

Zonderkidz™, a division of Zondervan, inspires young lives through imagination and innovation. As the leader in Christian children's communications, it produces bestselling and award-winning Bibles, books, board books, graphic novels, audio, video, and digital products that awaken the hearts and touch the souls of kids under 16 and the people who love them, from family members to educators. Zonderkidz is the publisher of the NIrV (New International Reader's Version) Bible translation, the 3rd-grade reading level edition of the NIV that is ideal for children and those who speak English as a second language. Visit Zonderkidz™ on the Internet at www.zonderkidz.com .

Media Contact:
Lindsey Rodarmer
(616) 698-3332
lindsey.rodarmer@zondervan.com  

** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. Michael has traveled to Albania and the former Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany and the former Czechoslovakia, Israel, and Canada. He has reported for ANS from Jordan, China, Russia, Jamaica, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- Michael Ireland Media Missionary (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649,at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.'