Review: The Donkey Who Carried a King by R.C. Sproul
Hey y’all! Welcome to our latest book review! We are big readers in our home and thought this may be a good way to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ.
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The Easter season is upon us and Resurrection Sunday is coming up, so it seemed like the perfect time to review our latest find: The Donkey Who Carried a King by R.C. Sproul. This book is a great addition to any library and a wonderful read no matter what time of the year it is but to us it’s absolutely perfect for this time of year! Let’s dive in to the review so you can see what I mean.
As with all of Pastor Sproul’s other children’s books we have read (you can find those reviews linked at the bottom of the article), it begins with a child having a question or problem and asking their Grandfather about it. In the story, a little boy is having a tough time because he is always picked last for all the games by the other kids. So his grandfather tells him a story to help him with his problem and point him to Christ at the same time.
The boy’s grandfather tells him the story of a young donkey who was never picked to do anything, until one day when he was picked to do something extraordinary—to carry Jesus the King into Jerusalem! Now, I thought the story would come to a conclusion shortly after this with the donkey being happy he had been chosen even though it seemed like he was last but that he was then content. But boy was I wrong and I’m glad I was.
Pastor Sproul takes it in another direction. Instead of being content and happy, the donkey became proud and believed he was too good to do any other work for his master. He had carried the King after all! In his mind he shouldn’t be simply carrying straw.
But then the donkey saw Jesus carrying His cross to Golgotha. His heart broke and the little donkey wanted to help but couldn’t. When he got back to his home, the donkey went and talked to an older donkey, who in the story had belonged to Joseph and Mary when Jesus was born. The older donkey told him about what Jesus came to do. That though Jesus was and is our King, He was also a servant who was willing to take on and carry the cross the little donkey saw to save His people. When the little donkey hears this, it makes him want to be more like Jesus and serve others without complaint.
As the story concludes, the grandfather tells the boy that at the beginning the little donkey had never been picked to do anything, but that his grandson was picked to play, even if it was last. He asked his grandson to try to be thankful and content and to never become prideful if he is given something special to do. And lastly he pointed him to Christ’s example as the story closes.
This has quickly become our daughters new favorite! We have read it several times already! As with all of the other R.C. Sproul children’s book, there are some great questions to ask your little one to help them grow in their understanding at the very end! This has become my favorite part of his children’s books.
If you’re looking for something to read this Easter season—or any time of the year really—to your child or give as a gift to someone, we highly recommend The Donkey Who Carried a King.
If you’re looking for other great kid resources, check out our kids/homeschool resources page for more reviews and recommendations. You can also find our other reviews of R.C Sproul’s children’s books below.
MORE COMING SOON