Customer Reviews

The Bible for Children

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I found this children's Bible quite by accident at my local one-stop-shopping-center grocery store. It is BEAUTIFUL -- both the language and the illustrations. It truly captures the mystery and beauty of an actual translation, while making it understandable and enticing to its intended audience. In addition to retelling more passages of the Bible than I've seen in any other story Bible, this book has an appendix containing a map, an index of places, and an index of people. It is a wonderful, intelligent introduction to The Book.

This book is absolutely a wonder to read; and with the excellent illustrations, you can't help but understand its content whether you're a child or an adult. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning the Bible, as it is extremely understandable.

This is a perfect storybook bible for children who have outgrown the cutsie little children's storybook bible like "The Beginners Bible", but who aren't quite ready for a full blown NIV bible, or even an NIrV. The watercolor style artwork is stunning. There is artwork on every page. The stories are short enough to keep my 1st grader's attention, but long enough to give more detail than the simple preschool / kindergarten bibles. I am super pleased with this book and see it being used for a few more years before she transitions to a big girl bible. Perfect for elementary age kids.

I highly recommend this book for ANYONE, not just children, interested in really understanding the Bible. It is extremely explicit, readable, and understandable. One can fully comprehend the statements and meanings. PLEASE read this book and truly understand the Bible. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it tremendously. I can now honestly say that I understand the Bible after reading this book!

This Bible was very disappointing for me. I bought it because I loved the illustrations and the stories seemed neither too simple or overly complex. When I got it home and started reading it to my children, I found that the stories were so descriptive and very often would just miss the point entirely. The wording ended up changing the overall attitudes of the characters, making them sound either stupid, or just plain foolish (ex. Sarah and Abraham), so I ended up having to skip or change the wording myself as I read it. Also, like another reviewer, I was surprised at all of the allusions to sex in a book for young children. I believe the Bible as truth, and know it happened, but I have to skip all of those parts because my children are way too young to hear about that. Again, it could have been fine had it been worded differently. I am looking for another Bible. The one I had, that isn't available on Amazon, that I loved was the Children's Every Day Bible. I would definitely recommend that Children's Bible over this rather boring one.

After searching high and low for a textbook sized bible made for 1st thru 3rd graders I stumbled across this and have to say I'm very pleased. It's about the size of a standard math textbook. Each chapter has the biblical reference for easy comparison, unlike some Bible story books. It stays in order just as in the Bible, and includes a Lands of the Bible map, an extensive index, and a small glossary at the back. The list price on the back is $23.99, so the price at Amazon is very good. My 1st grader is reading on her own, and finds this to be much more challenging than the simpler Bible story books she has owned in the past. I highly recommend this book for 6-9 year olds. After that age, you will want to get your child a real, non-annotated bible.

We own a ton of children's Bibles and storybooks, and this one is the best. It is a delight to read. The author has done a masterful job at bringing the stories to life through vivid descriptions. There have been moments when I've read this Bible to my daughters that I have been moved to tears as I have experienced these true stories in fresh ways.

Most children's Bibles simply retell the facts of the stories without attempting to take you into the sandals of the ones who lived through them. Many others water down the stories so much (in well-intentioned efforts to make them understandable to children) that they miss the mystery and beauty of them. This collection does neither, not to mention the illustrations are terrific.

The age range for this Bible is probably best from kindergarten/1st grade and up (for reading to them aloud). Children in late elementary school could likely read it by themselves.

If you're looking for a very well-written Bible collection to read aloud to your elementary-aged kids, don't hesitate to buy.