The Action Bible [Hardcover]

Doug Mauss (Editor), Sergio Cariello (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2010 | Age Range: 9 and up

Here’s the most complete picture Bible ever! And it features a captivating, up-to-date artwork style—making it the perfect Bible for today’s visually focused culture.

 

The Action Bible presents 215 fast-paced narratives in chronological order, making it easier to follow the Bible’s historical flow—and reinforcing the build-up to its thrilling climax.

 

The stories in The Action Bible communicate clearly and forcefully to contemporary readers. This compelling blend of clear writing plus dramatic images offers an appeal that crosses all age boundaries.

 

Brazilian artist Sergio Cariello has created attention-holding illustrations marked by rich coloring, dramatic shading and lighting, bold and energetic designs, and emotionally charged figures.

 

Let this epic rendition draw you into all the excitement of the world’s most awesome story.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sergio Cariello was born in Brazil in 1964 and started drawing as soon as could hold a pencil.  At the age of five, he already knew that he wanted to be a cartoonist.  And so did everyone else--he drew on church bulletins, napkins, and every surface wtihin his reach.  He currently resides in Holiday, Florida.

Sergio has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics.  He attended the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art as well as the Word of Life Bible Institute in upstate New York.

In February, 2006, he was contacted by David C. Cook to gauge his interest in a new project; completely re-illustrating Cook's classic Picture Bible.  What David C. Cook couldn't know is that Sergio had grown up in Brazil with a Portuguese translation of that very same Picture Bible.  He was reading the Picture Bible before he learned to ride a bike! Even though he knew as a kid that he wanted to be a comic artist, he never would have dreamed that he would one day get to work on the Picture Bible itself!

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 752 pages
• Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781444993
• ISBN-13: 978-0781444996
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 1.3 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (389 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Children's Books > Religions > Christianity > Bible
  • #6 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Children's & Teens

More About the Author

My Photo

Sergio Cariello
Florida, United States
Born in Brazil.At the age of 5 I already knew I wanted to draw comics.At 11 I had my first comic strip published in Local newspapers-Frederico, the Detective. At Caliber Press penciled, inked and lettered the HP Lovecraft's Dagon, with writer Steven Jones.At Marvel I drew Daredevil,Conan,Thor, Captain America, Disney's Quasimodo,Spider-man, the Avengers and others.Drew Batman, Superman, New Gods, Young Heroes in Love, Superboy, Steel, Guy Gardner, Hawkman, Man called X, The Flash, Deathstroke,Wonderwoman, Green Arrow, Azrael and others for DC.Taught 7 yrs at the Joe Kubert School.Member of the National Cartoonists Society since 1995.Worked with Chuck Dixon and Beau Smith in the Wildcat mini-series.Dark Horse(Beau's and mine Badlander), Image(Spawn),Sojourn, Lady Death, Scion, Crux, and other Crossgen titles,Iron Ghost with Chuck and ATP) and many others. Currently working on the Lone Ranger(Dynamic Forces), Son of Samson with writer Gary Martin for Zondervan, the New Picture Bible for David C Cook ( Now called "The Action Bible", available here at amazon.com : ISBN: 0781444993
ISBN-13: 9780781444996) and other gigs here and there. Visit my website: www.sergiocariello.com
look for me on Facebook.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

135 of 144 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful upgrade to the historic Children's Picture Bible September 8, 2010

By Erik1988 TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (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

141 of 158 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great art! Questionable text April 12, 2011

By J. Fullmer

Format: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.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Children's Bible! August 26, 2010

By Angie

Format:Hardcover

When I was reading this Bible, my 9-year old cousin came up to me and said "what are you reading?" "The Bible," I told him. "The Bible's boring," he retorted. "Not this one - here, take a look." He sat down with me, looked at it a bit, and then agreed that this Bible is definitely NOT boring.

The first thing that you notice about The Action Bible is how visually impressive it is - the colors are rich and bold, and makes the characters come alive in a very real way. A few times, I even caught myself saying "wow, I've never pictured it that way before!" The illustrations are beautiful, especially in stories like Noah's Ark, the Garden of Eden, and Jesus walking on the water.

The stories are paced very well, and flow from one into the next easily. I was engrossed in the stories immediately, and they flew by quickly. They're perfect for kids, but also have some unexpected humor in them, as well. A few times I even found myself laughing out loud, which I rarely do while reading.

I would absolutely recommend this as a great beginner's Bible for kids, although I think that the "4-8" age range might be a little young. I would say that it's more suited for ages 6 and up, since there are a few more intense moments (Cain killing Abel, Lot's escape from Sodom, etc.). Other than that, very highly recommended.

Addendum to this review:
I showed it to a 25 year-old friend of mine, as well, who is now convinced that it is the best thing ever.