Over My Head: Patrick Wigglesworth’s Bizarre Bible Adventure
By Liz and Jack Hagler (Tyndale Kids)
Think back to ages 7-12 and those elementary school and preteen years. Reading wasn’t always fun, and the Bible seemed especially hard. Remember questions felt silly to ask, like: “How did Adam remember what he named all the animals?” or “Where did they exercise on the ark?” or “Why did Jacob not recognize Leah?”
Over My Head, Book 1 (Genesis-Deuteronomy) in Patrick Wigglesworth’s Bizarre Bible Adventure series by Liz and Jack Hagler seeks to answer those questions and many more in a kid-friendly, graphic novel format. Similar to comic books, graphic novels use sequential art, in this case black and white drawings by Liz Hagler, to tell a stand-alone story that can be fiction or nonfiction.
Almost 5th grader Patrick Paddy Wigglesworth writes what happened in his weird life when he got “yanked into a Bible adventure” with Moses as his guide. Who better to lead Patrick from creation to Moses scenic view of the Promised Land than the author himself?
He begins with a disclaimer: “This journal tells the story of what I saw on my Bible adventure. It might seem a little different from what you read in your Bible. But don’t worry—I’ve included Bible verses so you can look up each story. Thanks, Patrick.”
Interspersed, the reader sees a real boy who grumbles about his little sister, shares some of his dad’s unbelievable God stories, and complains he must be good in Sunday school because his mom is the teacher. But his journal and the art bring the Bible to life in engaging and often fun ways.
Patrick isn’t afraid to ask Moses hard questions but has to remember there weren’t Sharpies or cell phones in those days. Patrick writes a really cool “The Great Pharaoh Confrontation Rap” and tries to figure out the recipe for that tasty manna because after all, it wasn’t lima beans.
Many of the entries contain Patrick’s stories within Bible stories. He matches Leviticus rules to rules he has to live by and then on his no-rule-birthday decides rules aren’t so bad.
Wandering in the desert seems like forever, but so does the family car trip sitting next to his sister. When Moses tasks Patrick with helping teach the new group of people in Deuteronomy about God’s blessings, he realizes there’s no PowerPoint. So, he creates sand drawings of “God’s epic drama.”
Clearly, Liz and Jack Hagler’s Over My Head from Patrick Wigglesworth’s Bizarre Bible Adventure series isn’t a Bible storybook. Instead it’s a fun, child-friendly and family-friendly way to teach about the Bible and offer the opportunity to dig deeper by providing verses that match. The graphic novel will also help girls and boys relate Bible concepts to their everyday lives. And who knows? Their parents, teachers and other adults might just enjoy and learn something from Patrick Wigglesworth. I did.
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Kathy Robinson Hillman, former president
Texas WMU and Baptist General Convention of Texas
Waco
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