B The Global Bible for Children [Hardcover]

The American Bible Society's The Global Bible for Children is a colorful Bible with engrossing pictures and entertaining information. The solid cover looks as if it should survive little hands fairly well. It includes colorful pictures from around the world, boxes of interesting facts, challenges to find information, pages about numerous countries, a section of maps, and a dictionary. Each book begins with a brief summary of the contents. Headings summarize each passage. A degree sign marks notes within the passage which are explained at the end of the book.

The introduction to the translation, the Global Contemporary English Version, says that "it differs from all other English Bibles...in that it takes into consideration the needs of the listener, as well as those of the reader, who may not be familiar with traditional biblical language." It does flow well as you read it aloud. The passages that I read seemed well translated, but I am no expert.

However, it's a little harder to find references than in a traditional Bible. The tops of the pages carry the book's title and the page number. You have to search down through the small numbers to find the reference once you've found the chapter. The font seems a little small for young readers (and for middle-aged reviewers).

The maps included are not the traditional Bible-related maps of ancient kingdoms, but are modern political maps. That's helpful for their country fact pages, but doesn't help you find Ur of the Chaldees, Bethlehem, or Paul's journeys.

The engaging pictures and factual information, though fascinating, rarely have anything to do with the surrounding text. For all its color and interesting facts, I'm not sure how helpful it would be in encouraging a child to read or listen to the Bible. That said, I would consider giving it to a child, though it would not be my first choice. -- Debbie W. Wilson, Christian Book Previews.com