Which Children’s Bible Should You Read?

June 27, 2018 0

Is it wrong to have a favorite child?

Yes. (See the second half of Genesis for the fallout.)

Is it wrong to have a favorite children’s Bible?

I hope not.

However, I do believe “favorites” and “superlatives” might be an American concept. My husband lived in the Balkans for a couple of years before we met, and he would often ask his national friends, “What is your favorite sports team… coffee shop…TV show?” His friends would reply, fairly horrified, “How can you choose a favorite? Who can say which is the best?”

Point taken. Having favorites is judgmental, by definition.

Therefore, I will refer to these children’s Bibles as “recommendations.”

My top recommendations:

1. The Big Picture Story Bible* by David Helm (Ages 2-99). I can’t recommend this Bible enough. The language is concrete and appropriate for children below second grade. This theme is covenantal, meaning it emphasizes God’s covenant with man, from creation to end times. Finally, the flow is chronological, so the thread of the story is continuous — each chapter is a bit of cliff hanger. This Bible gave my toddler and preschool children an excellent grasp of God’s story. They begged to go on to the next chapter every night.

*If I could change something about this Bible, it would be the illustrations, which are very Anglo-centric. I took time to explain to my children that Adam and Even would not have been strawberry blondes. Other Bibles do a better job illustrating Middle Eastern culture, and I hope this Bible will be re-released with culturally accurate illustrations.

2. The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine Vos. (Ages 5 – 99). Once your child is able to listen to a book that has very few pictures, The Child’s Story Bible, written in the 1930s, is a great listen/read. Again, it’s chronological, but tells God’s story in a way that connects the narrative from Genesis to Revelation. Reading this aloud to my children has been one of my favorite parts of parenting, and I have learned more than a thing or two. I may even start giving these to adults.

3. The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones (a cautionary recommendation).

This children’s Bible took over the evangelical, reformed world when it was published in 2007. Moms were blogging about this Bible, Dads were weeping over this Bible, and children were — confused? I love this Bible because of the nuance and the poetry, and the clever illustrations. The tone is elegant, the rhythm powerful. The narrative strikes a similar visceral chord to what I think the Hebrew people would have experienced hearing with the Hebrew Bible.

But this is really a teen/adult Bible. The subtleties and irony are lost on most children.

One of the churches I served used this Bible as their children’s curriculum. Within about 60 seconds each Sunday, eyes glazed over and jaws grew slack (signs of impending doom, if you’re the preschool teacher).

Having seen children grasp the Biblical story and ask for more when teaching from The Big Picture Story Bible or The Children’s Story Bible, the difference was noticeable. This doesn’t mean there aren’t some children who love this Bible, but I do think it is more suited for the abstract cognitive skills of ages 9+. I’m not not recommending Lloyd-Jones’s fabulous work; I’m just putting it in a different category.

4. Older kids/teens would benefit from the chronological Bible like this (I even recommend large print because anything easier on the eyes is: easier.):