119 of 132 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not for young children, May 11, 2005
This review is from: The Bible for Children (Hardcover)
I wanted a Bible I could read to my nine and seven year-olds. This isn't it. First, the stories tend to be too long. There are too many ponderous passages, like this:
"Abraham's eyes were closing in the stifling heat, but he thought he saw a figure. He blinked in the harsh light. Was he dreaming? He saw three figures standing nearby. He opened his eyes wider. In the glare of the midday sun, Abraham could not see their faces, but something told him that these visitors were no ordinary men. He got up hastily, walked up to them and bowed very low."
Now, in my opinion, more action and less description would be better.
But my main objection to the bible, for younger kids, is this: there are too many references to sex.
In the story about Abraham and Hagar, this appears: "Abraham agreed and took Hagar into his bed, and she became pregnant."
If you're comfortable discussing with your seven year-old the relationship between going to bed and becoming pregnant, that's fine. I'm not.
Another passage: "Laban held a marriage feast, and afterwards Jacob took his bride, still in her veil, into the darkness of his home. They made love that night . . ."
Again, I don't want to talk about making "love" with my 7 and 9 year-olds.
And this one: "'Come on,' she laughed. "`Do I have to command you as my slave? Come into my bedroom and sleep with me!'"
Another gratuitous reference to sex. I've had enough, so I stopped reading this Bible at page 61 (of 343). It's unfortunate that this Bible--published by a company located in Intercourse, PA (no joke), can't describe the stories in more kid-friendly ways. Not recommended.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a magnificent illustrated Bible, December 19, 2003
This review is from: The Bible for Children (Hardcover)
As a Bible for children, this is written by Murray Watts with clarity and insight, with dialogue that makes the stories understandable, from the child's early years of reading up until they are ready for their first complete Bible.
The text will be appreciated for many years of youth, and the illustrations will be loved for a lifetime.
I bought this book for the artwork by Helen Cann, which is magnificent. As an artist/illustrator, I am awed by the work that has gone into this volume, and find a great affinity with her style. The emotion she evokes in her beautiful faces is remarkable, and she uses rich colors and graceful patterns; the perspectives are also of interest, some panoramic, seen from above, and the illustration of Jonah is pictured as a circle, as if he were caught in a whorl. Helen loves the ocean, and paints her seas with passion, and her depictions of Jesus are exquisite. My favorite picture is of Jesus and John the Baptist on page 226.
The satin-finish pages are thick, and the font size is large and easy on the eyes. The layout is exceptional with each page edged with a lovely design, and the illustrations are too numerous to count. The final two pages have a marvelous map of "The Lands of the Bible". This book is a tremendous value, and one that will be treasured by all ages.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Children's Bible, February 2, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Bible for Children (Hardcover)
My husband and I had been looking for a long while for a children's bible for our 4 year old that kept intact the wonder and mystery of God and the scriptures through the text and illustrations. It seemed to me that all I could find were very cutesy texts and pictures that could be appropriate for very young children but seemed dumbed down for older ones. Or the other extreme, that it was too 'adult.' Or that it didn't have a very complete list of stories. We found our solution with this bible. My son loves having these stories read to him every night and can't wait for the next one. We do have to paraphrase some of the sentences in most of the stories, as the book is for older children. I am very happy that we finally found this children's bible which I feel acurately conveys the spirit of the scriptures and the awe of God to our son and us. Thank you Murray Watts and Helen Cann.
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