About the Book
With the help of a rogues' gallery of cartoonish villains, young readers will learn that all people have some bad inside of them (where it counts) and that Jesus, the only Real Good Guy, can redeem them from their sin.
Even young children can spot a bad guy when they see one. In most fairy tales, comic books, and cartoons, the lines between good and evil are drawn in broad strokes. After all, if it looks like a bad guy and talks like a bad guy. . .
But according to God, only what’s inside of each person’s heart counts. By that measure, we’re all Real Bad Guys in need of Jesus, the only Real Good Guy to save us.
In Real Bad Guys, children will meet Millie, an everyday kid who learns from a who’s-who of stereotypical hoodlums that everybody sins and has fallen short of God’s standard for goodness. Also, because we can’t see the condition of people’s hearts, we can’t judge them by their appearance.
Filled with fun and humor, Real Bad Guys cleverly and effectively explains the problem of sin and its solution to children ages eight and up.
About the Author :
Jimmy Needham is a REAL BAD GUY who’s loved by the only REAL GOOD GUY. He’s also a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, a sought-after speaker, pastor, and the cohost of the Clearly podcast with his wife, Kelly. Jimmy, Kelly, and their five children live in the Dallas, Texas, area.
Sebastian Martin is also a REAL BAD GUY who’s loved by the only REAL GOOD GUY. His vibrant and innovative caricatures have twice won him the honor of Artist of the Year from the International Society of Caricature Artists.
Review :
“This book isn’t just smart and funny and entertaining and beautifully produced...it’s important. Your kids need this sooner than later.”
—Dallas Jenkins, creator of The Chosen
“Real Bad Guys does a creative and fun job helping little minds and hearts comprehend both the problem of the human heart and the solution. The bent towards moralistic deism haunts all of us and maybe especially young kids. I’m grateful for Jimmy and Sebastian’s work in helping provoke the imagination to get through the mind and into the heart.”
—Matt Chandler, lead Pastor of The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas
“Real Bad Guys is a visually stunning and witty journey to the depths of our depravity and then to the heights of the hope available to all! Every page is more enjoyable than the last. You will absolutely love reading and sharing this book about bad guys from a good guy pointing to the Greatest Guy!”
—Jonathan Pokluda, pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church, bestselling author, podcast host of Becoming Something
“As a longtime fan of Jimmy’s music, it is a thrill to see him utilize his brilliant storytelling gifts through a new medium. Needham brings humor and heart to the Gospel story, making it accessible for people of all ages. The fanciful illustrations and timeless truths point the reader to the love and sacrifice of our Savior, the REAL GOOD GUY.”
—Ginna Clair Mason, broadway actress, Wicked
“This fun little book teaches kids a big lesson. In an age where the truth is hidden and undervalued, Real Bad Guys reminds all of us who we really are. My wife and I read to our kids every night, and we’re always looking for new stories that tell the truth and engage the imagination. This book does both with excellence. The illustrations are unique, and the story is engaging. I’ll have to improve my book-reading accents to capture all the personalities! The Good News of Jesus is beautiful. I’m confident this book will show a generation of kids just how beautiful that news is.”
—Trip Lee, Christian hip-hop artist and author
“The great moral problem in the universe is clear: We ignore God to love ourselves. This moral dry rot is present in our world, in our children, and in their sinful parents. This clear, creative, and Christ-centered book pioneers a new starting point for an essential conversation we must lead in our homes.”
—Tony Reinke, author of 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You
“How can it be so? He did it! Jimmy Needham wrote a kids’ book on depravity! One of the most important things my four daughters have seen is their sin. This book has helped them, and it will help your child to see their need for a Savior.”
—Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane, worship leader and cofounder of The Worship Initiative
“How can it be so? He did it! Jimmy Needham wrote a kids’ book on depravity! One of the most important things my four daughters have seen is their sin. This book has helped them, and it will help your child to see their need for a Savior.”
—Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane, worship leader and cofounder of The Worship Initiative
“Real Bad Guys is fun, hilarious, and overflowing with the gospel. You and your kids will love learning theology from Dracula, a pirate, and other bad guys. And most of all, we learn about the one good guy.”
—Jeff Medders, author of Humble Calvinism and host of the Acts 29 podcast
“After time spent with Jimmy and his family, I can easily envision him using every voice, character, and twist of humor in this book to make the gospel clear and appealing to his kids and ours. (Not to mention, it’s also appealing to us grown ups!) I’m grateful that a book like this exists to make the complexity of sin so accessible for readers of any age. I am confident it will bear much fruit in your home.”
—Bethany Barnard, Christian music artist and mother of four
“For as long as I have known him (and even before then), Jimmy Needham has been showing me the serious depth of my need for Jesus and the ever-greater heights that Jesus reaches to meet that need. In this book, Jimmy paints that grace in colors even kids can understand. There’s a real bad guy in all of us — murderers and pastors, thieves and mothers, pirates, monsters, and me. Thank God there’s one guy good enough to love this real bad guy.”
—Marshall Segal, president and CEO of Desiring God
“Nobody combines faith and fun, creativity and theology quite like Jimmy Needham. What a delightful and helpful resource for families!”
—Ben Stuart, bestselling author and lead pastor of Passion City Church in Washington, D.C.
