Jonah and the Great Fish
A story about listening, beginning again, and discovering that mercy reaches everyone.
Bible stories to share together
The story of Jonah for kids
A great fish, a city that listens, and a plant that raises a question. Discover two stories about new opportunities and learning to treat others with compassion.
2 storiesEnglish and SpanishSounds and animations
What is Jonah’s story about?
God called Jonah to take a message to Nineveh, but he went another way. A storm and a great fish are part of the first story, in which Jonah prays and receives a new opportunity.
In the second story, Jonah has more to learn: God’s compassion reaches people Jonah did not want to help. A plant, its shade, and God’s questions open a conversation about anger and mercy.
The series, step by step
Read the chapters in order, or choose one to share today. Each story has illustrations, interactive sounds, and related activities.
Jonah and the Plant That Gave Shade
A plant helps Jonah discover how great God’s compassion is.
What can we learn with Jonah?
New opportunities
Acknowledging a mistake and starting again
Jonah could pray and return to his task. We can learn to acknowledge mistakes and ask for help to put things right.
Read chapter 1 →Compassion
Wanting good things for others
God cared about the people of Nineveh. His care invites us to be kind to people who are different from us.
Read chapter 2 →Patience
Talking about our feelings
Jonah felt angry. His story helps us name our emotions and listen before responding.
Read chapter 2 →Games and coloring pages for this series
Choose an activity to continue your reading. Enjoy it on screen or open its printing options.
Find the silhouette
Jonah and the Plant That Gave Shade
Match the pictures with their silhouettes.
Open
See all 2 coloring pages to color and print
Read · talk · do
An idea for family or classroom reading
Words that offer another chance
You will need three small sheets of paper and colored pencils. An adult guides the reading. Suggested time: 15 minutes.
Read chapter 1 →- Read the first story. Open “Jonah and the Great Fish.” After reading, remember what Jonah did while he was inside the fish.
- Make three cards. Draw a mouth, a hand, and a heart, one on each sheet. Put all three cards on the table.
- Choose a way to help. An adult says: “Someone accidentally spilled some water.” Take turns choosing a card and suggesting a way to help: saying something kind (the mouth card), cleaning together (the hand card), or keeping someone company when they feel sad (the heart card).
- Talk together. Ask: “How can we help someone put a mistake right and try again?” Each person chooses one helpful action to practice today.
Questions about this series
Do both stories belong to the same account?
Yes. The first follows Jonah until his new opportunity; the second continues with what happens in Nineveh and the plant that gave him shade.
What can we discuss with children?
You can talk about acknowledging mistakes, asking for help, handling anger, and showing compassion. You do not need to explore every idea in one reading.
How do the sounds work?
Turn on voice tracking and read the story aloud: sounds will play automatically when your reading reaches the corresponding phrases. You can also tap the underlined phrases to play their sounds directly, without turning on voice tracking.
Can we print the activities?
Yes. Open the activity you want and use its print option. Coloring pages can also be colored directly on screen.