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74 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful upgrade to the historic Children's Picture Bible, September 8, 2010
This review is from: The Action Bible (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I grew up in the 70's and 80's with David C. Cook Sunday school curriculum and the Children's Picture Bible as a staple of every Sunday school classroom. The Picture Bible is finally upgraded in full-comic format (previous version had pictures with lots more text) making this item worth it for the following reasons:
1) Everyone -- and I mean everyone -- I showed this to at work wanted to know where to get one because they could think of at least one child, grandchild, nephew, niece, cousin or themselves to get it for.
2) Everyone is impressed with the art, inking/color, and overall presentation of this book
3) Anyone who knows anything about collecting comic books will attest that the less than $17 price is a steal! Trying to get an equivalent number comic book pages for any secular work (Marvel, DC, Image, etc) would run easily three times that price.
4) Much of the difficulty people have with reading Old Testament parts (such as Numbers) is now accessible to the masses
5) I've had Non-churchgoers who like comics want one. One guy said he'd actually read the Bible for the first time if he had this.
6) This is no specific translation of the Bible, making it more accessible than a favored translation by a few
7) The stories cover:
- Genesis through 2 Chronicles
- Jeremiah
- Daniel
- a few other choice stories of the Old testament from books like Jonah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Michal, Daniel, Ezra
- Matthew through Acts
- some other New Testament stories and finally Revelations
NOTE: Some people may complain that the stories and dialogue are "too loose" of an account on actual Biblical text. Just understand that the stories here are "based" on the Bible text, it's not intended to be a word-for-word representation.
OVERALL:
If you or a kid you know have never read through the Bible, maybe this is a place to start and enjoy 200 key stories in a wonderful, visual presentation. If you have read much of the Bible, this createa an excellent visual representation of the the stories that seem familiar
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44 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great art! Questionable text, April 12, 2011
This review is from: The Action Bible (Hardcover)
First you need to know that the art is fantastic. Top notch work! It must have been a labor of love because all the character design, costumes, sets and color schemes must have taken forever to do. The book is worth buying for that reason alone. Also, the variety of stories included are fantastic and I think give you a great overview of Biblical narratives. The author also took pains to put the stories in chronological order (many are not in correct order in the Biblical text).
I think the project could have been a master work if someone else had written it. I understand that the writing is, by necessity, succinct but it is the author's understanding of some of the stories that keep me from wanting to just let my kids read it.
There are a number of examples (most of which are in the Old Testament portion). Some of which, I admit, are personal interpretation issues. I feel that to miss the fact that Adam and Eve did in fact become as God (in that they now knew good from evil) when they partook of the fruit was to miss an important aspect of the story. I disagree with the author's portrayal of Gideon as a coward initially. It is completely at odds with how I see a man who is overwhelmed with the responsibility of his calling (not unlike Moses or Isaiah). But I'm willing to dismiss those as matters of personal opinion.
Some of the stories are flavored is such ways to make them more palatable to lay audiences but misrepresent the events in so doing. The author has portrayed Absalom as conniving and greedy - that he was just after the throne when he murdered is brother Amnon. He unfortunately missed the fact that Absalom killed Amnon because Amnon rapped his sister Tamar and David (their father) did nothing about it. Absalom was avenging her which David should have done. Yes, later he fights for the throne but to make him so vapid is to take away his loyalty to his sister in righting the wrong done to her when no one else would.
Also, some stories have added "motivations" to help lay readers to feel that there is some justification for God's actions even when they are not found in the text of the Bible. In 2 Kings 2 when Elisha is mocked by the youth, Elisha curses them and then to bears arrive and maul them. To make it more palatable, the author has pretended that the youth were trying to kill the prophet and so the bears were sent in self defense. There is no need to add justifications where none are given in the text.
All in all it is a monumental achievement but use it to remind you of the stories, not to teach you the correct stories - use the Bible for that.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Steel Yourself for Action...", September 8, 2010
This review is from: The Action Bible (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is how the preface by General Editor, Doug Mauss, begins. He then goes on to argue that Superman may be super, but his powers are nothing as compared with God's. [I tell you this because I think it's important to tell you what sort of attitude and motivations are behind those that created this book].
Now at 752 pages, "The Action Bible (God's Redemptive Story)" is a huge volume. But it would need to be to cover the many stories that comprise the New and Old Testaments of the Christian Bible.
The approach the authors/designers took was that of the graphic novel. They used dialog boxes and great kid-friendly artwork to tell the tales. The artwork is 'realistic' rather than abstract or whimsical. And the dialog is modern and something any child can understand. For example, one information/descriptive box from "Tempted in the Garden" says; 'Satin, in the form a serpent, tempts Eve'.
And Satin says, "Are you sure God said not to eat this fruit?"
To which Eve replies, "Oh, Yes. If we even touch it, we'll die."
The serpent: "Oh, you won't die if you touch it, See? And if you eat it, you will be wise -- Just like God."
"You're right!" she responds, and then goes on to sample the fruit, telling Adam that "It tastes delicious!"
I picked this particular scene, by the way, so I could say something about religious points of view. There are many different interpretations of Christian scripture and I wouldn't dare assume to tell anyone whether the approach of "The Action Bible" would please them or agree with their own views. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that just as I'm sure there will be families who love and adore this book, that I know there will be others who will find something that ignites their indignation.
But still, having said that, I will note that it looks to me that the authors and illustrators have spent a great deal of time trying to make sure the book appeals to most families. And they (the authors and illustrators) have certainly glossed over any truly inappropriate material of an adult nature. [My son was disturbed by the story of Cain and Able... as he rightly should be. But you couldn't very well leave it out.]
THE SKINNY:::
I love "The Action Bible". It's a great read-aloud and it tells the stories in a kid-friendly fashion.
The artwork is very good and vivid color covers the pages from edge to edge.
Interestingly, when I gave this book to my 8 yo son he soon put it down. I wasn't quite sure why but that night I picked it up and began reading it to him and his sister at bedtime. Now it's their favorite nightly read and we are making steady progress, finding plenty to talk about and discuss.
My one complaint is that the font is painfully small. At night when my eyes are tired I have to use my strongest specs to read it (3X) and even then it's a challenge. The text is also italicized which I think may present a challenge to younger readers reading it for themselves.
All-in-All I highly recommend this volume. Even if your children already know the stories, it's another way for them to visualize what was going on, and to understand the participants as real people and not abstract figures.
4.5 Stars
Pam T~
mom/blogger
booksforkids-reviews
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