A new children’s Bible from the German Bible Society is drawing attention for portraying all its human characters as animals — from Moses as a hippopotamus to Noah as a beaver — in a creative effort to make Scripture more engaging for young readers.
According to the Swiss evangelical portal Livenet.ch, the book was presented this month at the Frankfurt Book Fair as one of 78,000 new releases. Published under the title The Lion of Judah, it is based on an idea by Norwegian illustrator Haakon Lie, who wanted to reintroduce children to the Bible through vivid, animal-inspired storytelling.
Lie said he loved Bible stories as a child because they were “colorful, full of life and animals,” but later found the text “taken over by old men in gray robes.” Influenced by Disney’s Robin Hood and C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series, he began illustrating biblical figures as animals several years ago.
Together with marketing designer Thomas S. Hansen, Lie founded the Norwegian publishing house Fennec Forlag and spent five years developing the concept. When the first volume appeared in 2024, it became Norway’s best-selling Christian book, with Lie’s apartment serving as the initial shipping center.
The project later caught the attention of Christoph Rösel, General Secretary of the German Bible Society, who discovered the Norwegian edition while on vacation. The society decided to publish a German version, calling it a fresh way to help children connect emotionally and intellectually with biblical stories.
Program director Michael Jahnke said the illustrations help children of different cultures identify with the characters. “Children need images that touch them emotionally and challenge them intellectually,” he said.
Lie, whose favorite figure is Samson — drawn as a honey badger — said his goal is to inspire all generations to rediscover the Bible. “I want readers to see that Jesus is the greatest hero of all time,” he told Livenet.ch.
