In The Lightlings R. C. Sproul weaves an allegorical tale that captures the essence of the biblical story of redemption in a way designed to fascinate and delight children. A race of tiny beings known as lightlings stands in for humanity, passing through the stages of the biblical drama: created in light, hiding in darkness after rebelling, and finally visited by the light itself.

The story is framed by a grandfather telling it to a frightened child, which gives the book a gentle entry point for a young reader. Fully illustrated in color. Sproul wrote several children's books on this pattern, presenting a doctrine through a story rather than explaining it; this is the one to start with.