Whales, lions and the Messiah

Scott has raised some interesting ideas on his blog concerning narratives and the bible.  Scott commented on the Story Book Bible, a retelling of the popular stories of the bible targeted at children aged 4+.  I bought this book for its illustrations, clear story telling that reads as though it was meant to be read out loud to children.  It is descriptive and poetic, and yes, as Scott points out, does tend to weave in the story of Jesus throughout the old testament tales.  But is this a bad thing?  I do believe that OT stories should be read as stand alone books.  But then they should be read as part of the bigger picture of the OT, and they should be read in the light of the NT.  And they should be read for their literary style.  It is only as we grapple with the books, stories, documentaries, poems and dramas that make up the OT in this varied way that we will begin to tap into all that they have to offer.  I do believe that the Bible books are linked in some way.  If they do not each contribute to the whole in some way, then why are they included?  That of course raises a whole other body of questioning that I don't have time or energy to ponder right now.  If we believe in the meta narrative of God who desires relationship with humanity, then the journey through the old testament from the turbulent relationship between God and Israel through to the remarkable life of Jesus  gives us a glimpse into how that is played out in the human and God story.  So for me, explaining this a little in the Story book bible is helpful for kids to see that the stories are more than just about whales and lions, boats and giants.