Jesus was a master storyteller. He frequently used stories to convey important, and sometimes complex, ideas in a way that the listeners could understand. Stories can help make timeless principles more understandable to modern listeners. What happens if you pair storytelling with the universal language of art? You get God's Runaway: Story & Art Lessons! DVD ($14.99), which uses art in various formats to tell the story of Jonah. The centerpiece of the video is something akin to a narrated book, with beautiful chalk drawings and some special effects to bring the book to life. It is interspersed with video footage of artist Gloria Kohlmann drawing a large black-light interpretation of the scene where Jonah has just been spit out of the whale and faces Nineveh. It's a very intriguing and captivating way to show the story of Jonah.

The video includes three different, but related, art lessons (with artists Heidi Shorts, Pat Knepley, and Jim Pence) that teach kids and adults how to use chalk art to create fairly simple but charming pictures from the story. There are also some nice bonus features, including a captivating presentation of the gospel message and lovely original music performed by "Breathing Room" recording artists Jan Roper and Kevin Dukes, which is performed while watching Gloria Kohlmann create her lovely drawing.

My family enjoyed watching the various features of God's Runaway . Using music and art to accentuate the retelling of an important Bible story helped convey the message in an engaging manner. It was inspiring to watch the artists at work, especially the "surprises" they built into their paintings that were revealed under black light. We enjoyed the art lessons, which were simple enough for beginners but also contained some good inspiration for more experienced artists. With no expertise at all in drawing (my stick figures aren't bad, but anything over that is unrecognizable!), I was even able to draw a fair representation of a whale! God's Runaway does an excellent job of utilizing art in action to tell a wonderful story of obedience in a way that kids and adults will find compelling and insightful!

Product review by Dr. Anne Margaret Wright, Senior Product Reviewer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, December 2011