Customer Reviews

Stories of Jesus (Baby Bible Board Books Collection #1)

5 star:		(6)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

The "Stories of Jesus" collection is four small board books featuring Bible stories about Jesus. Each of the books covers one of the following stories; "Jesus Feeds the People", "Jesus Heals a Little Girl", "Jesus Helps a Blind Man", and "Jesus Stops a Storm". At the end of each story is an appropriate Bible verse and reference. These are sturdy books built to put up with the abuse of very young children. At about five inches by five inches they are small enough for little hands. These are highly recommended for Christian homes with small children, church libraries, and Christian preschools.

Beautifully enhanced with colorful "animation-style" illustrations by Tim Gillette, and collaboratively written by Edward and Sarah Bolme, Stories Of Jesus is a superbly produced set of four 5"x5" board books designed specifically for children newborn through five years. The individual titles comprising this very highly recommended series includes Jesus Feeds the People; Jesus Heals a Little Girl; Jesus Helps a Blind Man; and Jesus Stops a Storm. Christian parents and church sponsored preschool centers concerned with instilling faith-based feelings of calm and security in their children during these troubled and troubling times are well advised to acquire the Stories Of Jesus for the edification of the youngsters in their charge.

The Stories of Jesus by Edward and Sarah Bolme is a four book collection that's part of the Baby Bible Board Books series. Each board book retells a popular tale about Jesus in simple, easy language perfect for babies and toddlers.

In this collection you'll find Jesus Heals a Little Girl, Jesus Helps a Blind Man, Jesus Stops a Storm, and Jesus Feeds the People. In each book, every two page spread features one sentence of text, plus colorful, cartoon-like illustrations by Tim Gillette, depicting people in biblical attire. (Some modern items creep into the illustrations to help children understand the story better. For example, the sick girl is shown with a thermometer in her mouth.) On the last two page spread of each book, the authors give a summary of the story that every child can relate to. In Jesus Feeds the People, for instance, they write: "God gives you good food." The books each end with a Bible quote.

What I Like: I've said it before, and I'll say it again: It's never too early to introduce children to the Bible. These books do an superb job of introducing babies and toddlers to biblical stories and concepts. The illustrations and text are age-perfect and the small size of these books (about 5 in. x 5 in.) are ideal for little hands.

What I Dislike: Nothing. However, some parents may object because the illustrations show Jesus' face.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Kristina Seleshanko
Christian Children's Book Review

This collection of children's bible story board books is absolutely charming. The pictures are bright and cute. The stories are simple and on a young child's level. The book proves durable and is easy for little fingers to hold. Best of all, the Bible stories are told in a simple yet very relevant way.

As the father of four little girls (the oldest is in Kindergarten), I've seen many a Christian themed kid's book. Many of them bend the Biblical text too much for my tastes. Some water down the message to the point I can't share them with my children. These books, written by Edward and Sarah Bolme, not only pass my parental eye, but they are treasured by my girls as well. (I can't keep them on my desk to review, without my girls taking them back and using them!)

Each book focuses on a specific Bible story, and includes the specific Biblical reference on the back cover. With just a few words per page, each story is told at a child's level. The pictures include cute pets or other kid-friendly embellishments, but the story stays true to the text. What's best with these stories is how the last page applies the story's lesson to the child's experience. These are not moral lessons about how to act, rather teach about who God is and how we can trust Him in our lives. A Bible verse is included with the application as well.

The four books cover the following stories. Jesus Stops a Storm -- which means Jesus keeps us safe, as well. Jesus Heals a Little Girl -- so Jesus makes us well, too. Jesus Helps a Blind Man -- and He takes good care of us. And then Jesus Feeds the People -- even as God gives us good food, too. These applications are at a child's level, and there is ample opportunity to add additional teaching as you read the book with your child.

The artwork is professional, and very attractive to children ages 1-3 (whom the books are geared toward) and even older. Crest Publications offers a pdf sample (go to babybibleboardbooks.com) of Jesus Feeds the People. I really can't rate these books high enough!

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

I received these books as a gift. My daughter, presently a year and a half old, prefers these books over her other books. She frequently will pick them out of the book shelf and bring them to me and my husband to have them read. Often more than 3 times a day for the past 2 weeks. These books are easy for her understand and they tell stories from the Bible accurately. The illustrations are made with bright colors and simple images which seem to keep my daughters attention. My daughter grasps the concepts in these books and they are enjoyable to her. I would recommend this book to anyone with young children.

I read these books to my 2 years old and he really likes them. I think it is a good choice for this age group because it introduces Jesus' name and the concepts of the miracles he worked. My son picks these books out just as much as others.

I am completely shocked - SHOCKED! - at the high ratings people have given these books.

I was looking for some age-appropriate books I could use to introduce my kids to the Bible. There seems to be no shortage of children's Bibles, but these can be overwhelming for toddlers, who need something short and sweet :) As a kid I remember we had some very small but excellent books published by Scripture Union, which each told the story of one of Jesus' miracles. I hoped these would be similar. Boy was I wrong!

The text of these books has been very poorly "dumbed down" for kids. The worst example is the "Jesus Heals a Little Girl" book, which is supposed to recount the events of Luke 8:41-56 and therefore would more accurately be titled "Jesus Raises a Girl from the Dead"...but the book never even states that the girl died! Granted, death is not a fun topic, but if they wanted to avoid it, they could easily have picked another of Jesus' miracles (there are plenty!). This omission renders the whole story both inaccurate and confusing; Jesus says the girl is sleeping, her parents laugh, and there is no explanation why. In any case, death is a current reality, and in my opinion, we parents need to push past our discomfort and discuss it openly with our children.

In the same book, one page says "Jesus touched the girl" and he is pictured as rather ominously standing over the "sleeping" child. Creepy!

The illustrations are not very attractive, though I've seen worse (my husband and I are both professional illustrators, so our standards are high). There is a confusing mix of modern and old in the book; the people pictured are wearing robes and sandals, but also have modern objects like thermometers, footballs, etc. Each book also seems to have cute animals randomly scattered throughout. Some may feel this makes the stories more accessible to kids. Personally I think this could have been accomplished in a better way. Jesus was, after all, a REAL historical figure, and it is therefore important to portray him (and his time period) as accurately as possible. Surrounding him with bunnies and butterflies smacks a little too much of the Care Bears for my taste.

In short, this set is NOT worth buying, in my opinion. Mine are going into the give-away pile post haste!