78 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST Bible Story Book, December 15, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Children's Bible in 365 Stories (Hardcover)
Our family (we have 8 children) has read a number of Bible story books. This one stands out to us as THE BEST. It is clearly written so that even the younger ones can follow well. Also, it is written in an interesting manner that the children always want more. A sign of a real winner! With the stories being so short there is always time to read at least one.
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68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well written, artfully Illustrated, September 5, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The Children's Bible in 365 Stories (Hardcover)
Although we have been using Batchelor's Children's Bible since our oldest daughter was three years old, she has really grown into it as she progressed through Kindergarten and First Grade. As the Chaplain of a Christian elementary school I am recommending it as a Bible Primer for our first graders to begin their own disciplined daily Scripture readings. The illustrations are artfully and historically authentic without being too complex for a young person's concentration. I highly recommend it.
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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A little too much creative license for my taste, January 12, 2011
This review is from: The Children's Bible in 365 Stories (Hardcover)
My sons have outgrown their story Bibles (The Beginner's Bible
The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories and On-My-Own Reader Bible
On-My-Own Reader Bible (New Living Translation Bible Story Series) and The Young Reader's Bible
The Young Readers Bible: 70 Easy to Read Bible Stories ). I tried the Day by Day Kid's Bible (
Day by Day Kid's Bible: The Bible for Young Readers (Tyndale Kids)), which I like a lot, but it just seemed like a little much for the 5-8 year old crowd. I was looking for something more mature than the Beginner's Bible, but less mature than the Day by Day. In that regard this book is a success. I think it is the perfect level for my kids to understand if I read it to them (though some kids at this age would have trouble reading it independently. I would say Read-Aloud level K+, independent reading level 3+).
However, the problem is that I feel like the author took just a tad too much artistic license in her prose. I found myself reading it with a stack of other Bibles on hand (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, etc.), comparing the stories to the scripture and thinking with a cringe, "I'm not sure about that." Many of them were just tiny little discrepancies that sort of tugged at me. For instance:
God Makes the World, "Long ago, before time began, our world was dark and desolate. Then God began to create order and beauty. First he commanded light to break into the darkness and there was light. Next he ordered the raging oceans to go back, so that dry land appeared." The prose is beautiful, but it gives a sense that the world was already there and God... improved it?
The Tempting Fruit, "When evening came, they did not hurry out to meet God. They were ashamed because they had disobeyed him. They picked some large leaves to try to cover their bodies, and then hid silently in the bushes. Every other evening they had eagerly waited for God's loving call. Now they listened in fear for the well-known sound of God's voice. At last they heard him. 'Where are you, Adam?' God called. With downcast eyes, they crept out to meet the God they no longer wanted to see." No longer wanted to see? The scriptures convey a sense of shame, which she conveys beautifully, and a sense of fear and loss, but instead of a sense of loss she indicates that they don't want to see him anymore. ?
The Two Brothers, "God looked at the fine offerings they had brought, and then he looked at the at the two brothers themselves. He saw the kind of people they were. He knew that Abel loved and trusted him, so he accepted Abel and his gift. But God refused Cain's present. He could not accept Cain because he was cold and proud and self-willed." I'm just not seeing in the scripture this kind of deep analysis of Cain's intentions. Here are the three translations that I have handy (nearest my computer desk) of Genesis 4:5, NKJV "but he did not respect Cain and his offering", NASB "but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard", and NIV "but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor". To say that Cain didn't offer his 'best' seems to be a commonly accepted interpretation, but to say that he was 'cold and proud and self-willed' seems like a bit much.
I want so much to like this book! It is beautiful language. But I can't get past the nagging thought that it isn't quite right.
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