Customer Reviews

CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED BIBLE

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been a catechist, teaching elementary school age children for over four years. I use this book extensively in my sessions with the kids, because they listen...intently. Rather than many dumbed-down, Disneyesque versions of children's Bibles that I have seen, and rather than the somewhat lame materials offered by our church, the Children's Illustrated Bible connects with kids. It does not insult their intelligence, but enhances it. The rich liturgies of the Old and New Testaments are brought to life with vivid portraiture and detailed factual explanation. Want to know more about life in the Middle East in biblical times? It's there. Want to know what type of wood might have been used in the Ark? Or what mountain range Ararat belongs to?

My students, ages 5-9, are harsh critics. When something isn't real, or interesting, or meaningful, they simply turn off. Too many of the standard cut, color and paste exercises last five minutes with them. But when I pull this book out to read the wonderful stories of Noah, Moses, the Flight from Egypt, Jesus calming the sea, and so forth - the kids listen with mouths agape. They strain their necks to see the beautiful illustrations and pictures.

This Bible is an excellent gift for god-children, for nieces and nephews, for your kids. Even if you are not religious, your kids will benefit deeply from hearing and reading the wonderful tales of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and step up their cultural literacy significantly.

If this is intended for children, they should have considered the size of the type. It's smaller than what one finds in a phone book, and I don't know how any child could read it without having his eyes becoming weary. The look inside pages on the website are deceptive, as they show the type to be somewhat larger.

I ordered this book because of the positive reviews and the "fits in a child's hand size" comments. What no one else mentioned is that the typeface is commensurately small--so small that it is a strain to my 42 year old eyes. By bedtime with my 2 and 6 year olds, I'll be so tired I likely won't be able to read the type. It is about the size of the small font used in paperback Penguins from the UK---about a 6-point on my computer's Times New Roman, where a 12 point TNR is the norm for letters. If you have strong eyes, the book is lovely, and it is an easily held size. The illustrations, contrary to somewhat lackluster reviews by some readers, were lovely. I plan to return the small version and will order the full size.

This book is gorgeous at an ordinary size. My son fell in love with it as a proper-sized library book, but I didn't check the page dimensions before I bought this item, and when it came it was so small, that the print was tiny and completely unreadable.... so we had to return it.

We use this to home church our children. I bought it for my 10 year old and he really looks forward to our Bible time together. This is a nice Bible with photos when possible, explanations of terms and situations which might be confusing. My son and I have been enjoying our time together reading through the stories. So far, the stories have followed along in sequence with not much left out. The language is straight forward, non-denominational.

The introduction to the book has some nice detailed drawings of the temple spoken of frequently in the O.T. as well as some other specific Hebrew ceremonies.

A nice addition to your home library.

I ordered this book and was disappointed in the confusing layout of the pages. It was cluttered with many side bars. This makes it difficult for young readers to gather information on a page. The print is too tiny. You need a magnifier!

This is a perfect Bible-story book that fills the gap between the immature and the mature young Christian. I bought it for my daughter back when she was in first grade and began reading it to her then. We've read through it many, many times together--usually one story a night (they're only 1 to 3 pages long). And now that she's in third grade, she still enjoys it and continues to read it on her own. There are maps, timelines, and overviews, as well as other interesting facts and photos inserted along the margins that help the child (and adult) understand cultural details of the time. Depending on the attention span of your child, you can read as little or as much of it as you like.

My only problem with the book is that it completely omits the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in the third chapter of John's gospel (i.e., John 3:16.) Hello? Isn't this a major point of Christianity? The chance that a lot of adults may never get around to looking it up turns this into a major oversight.

My daughter is 7 and loves this bible. It is well illustrated, interesting and easy for her to understand. Worth every penny.

This is a perfect Bible-story book that fills the gap between the immature and the mature young Christian. I bought it for my daughter back when she was in first grade and began reading it to her then. We've read through it many, many times together (depended on the attention span of the child, you can read as little or as much of the extra info provided), usually one story a night (they're only 1 to 3 pages long). And now that she's in third grade, she still enjoys it and continues to read it on her own. There are maps, timelines, and overviews, as well as interesting facts and photos inserted along the margins that help the child (and adult) understand cultural details of the time.

My only problem with it is that it completely omits the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in the third chapter of John's gospel (i.e., John 3:16.) Hello?? Isn't that a major point in Christianity? Its omission is very disturbing and unfortunately hasn't been included in the new 1996 edition either.

While children may not have a hard time reading this book, I did...so, it is not for parents to read to their children if you have trouble with a very small font. That way my only disappointment. The size of the actual book is very convenient and would be easy for a child to hold. The font is smaller then most adult Bibles.

The illustrations are wonderful, the stories inspirational and retold in language that is clear and yet retains the original "poetry" of the Bible.

"So it is that we must make the most of what God gives us, and then we will be prepared to enter the kingdom of Heaven." -pg. 255, The Parable of the Talents

An index and a listing of "who's who" makes this more useful as a text. There are quotations from the King James Version sprinkled through the book. Color photographs of animals, plants and people puts the stories into context. All the pictures are explained, making reading this particular Bible a complete learning experience.

The stories are retold by Selina Hastings and an Introduction to the Bible explains that the Bible is a collection of books written by different people. Eric Thomas has even illustrated the Contents section. His artwork complements the style of Selina's writing.

Children love the stories of the Bible and I remember my first children's Bible very well. A belief in God is very comforting through life and a Children's Bible helps children to understand who God is and will increase their love for others.

Through my own studies as a child, I learned that God does love us, even when it seems he is nowhere to be found. The trust I have in God and my belief stems from learning about God and understanding his purpose in my life at an early age.