9 things you might have missed from The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross

The Garden, The Curtain and the Cross is one of our enduring bestselling children's storybooks. It takes little people through the Bible’s big story from the garden of Eden to God’s perfect new creation. But just because it’s for kids doesn’t mean it’s not theologically rich and biblically faithful—even down to the smallest detail in the illustrations.

Here are a few hidden details you can spot as you read The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross—and perhaps take time to talk to your children about as you read.

Quagga

What’s that playing in the Garden of Eden? A herd of quagga, of course—a subspecies of zebra once found in South Africa, but hunted to extinction in the 19th century.

Onyx and resin stones

Precious stones beneath the Garden of Eden reflect the words of Genesis 2 v 12: “The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.”

A theory with legs

The serpent tempts the man and woman to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Notice that the serpent has legs—one theory is that God’s curse in Genesis 3 v 14 suggests that the snake had prior to that: “You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.”

The fall begins

Eve is banished from the Garden—notice in the background the discarded fruit and the carcass of the animal God killed to make Adam and Eve’s garments (Genesis 3 v 21).

Significant trees

The trees in the garden of Eden are echoed in the decoration of the temple (1 Kings 6 v 29).

A lamb without blemish

After the fall, “people STILL kept sinning because they didn’t want God to be in charge”. But later, the illustrations show Jesus living a perfect life—he was “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4 v 15).

From one to another

A lamb and the Lamb lock eyes as Jesus visits the temple at Passover time.

We shall see him as he is

A joyful depiction of what it might look like to meet Jesus face to face and hear him say: “Well done, good and faithful servant! … Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25 v 21).

Faithful and true

Jesus leads his people into the New Creation: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True” (Revelation 19 v 11).”

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