Inspired by Bill Martin Jr.'s friendship and writing, Lee Jenkins wrote the story of Daniel and the lions' den as a theatre production presented by children. Parents who have read Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom to their children will recognize the influence Bill Martin Jr. had on Lee Jenkins' writing.

The aim of the Bible Patterns for Young Readers series is to make learning to read so joyful and painless that children forget how they learned to read, but the stories so powerful they are remembered for life.

Through the reading of An Evening with Daniel: The Lions' Den Theatre children look for repeating words, such as trick, as they gradually learn to read the whole book. Many children will envision themselves in a play someday acting out one of the parts. As children read and hear more and more of the great stories in the Bible they realize that God seems to never answer prayer in the same way twice.