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4 Favorite Children’s Bibles (Timothy Raymond )

With Christmas coming soon, parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters are looking for gifts for the little ones in the family.  What could be a better gift than an age-appropriate, biblically and theologically accurate children’s Bible to read aloud while the kiddos are sitting on your lap or wreathed around you on the sofa?  I’m a big believer in family Bible reading and have been fortunate enough to read through several different ones with my children over the years.  Below is my recommended list of four favorites, in ascending order of preference, along with a couple comments as to why I like them.

0310708257m4.    The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name by Sally Lloyd-Jones.  I realize this is many Christian parents’ number 1 choice, but I’m slightly put off by the avant-garde artwork, that the paraphrase is occasionally imprecise, and that, in my humble opinion, some of the Christological connections are a stretch.  But if you’re looking for an easy-to-read, colorful, sometimes humorous children’s Bible which will hold your kids attention and connect every story to the work of Jesus, this is a great one.  We’ve read it probably 4 or 5 times in its entirety.  Ideal for children age 3-7.

9781433523915m3.    The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm.  This is the Bible I’m currently reading with my kids and they are thoroughly loving it (as am I).  It’s colorful, conversational, engaging, accurate, and arranged around the biblical-theological theme of God’s people living in God’s place under God’s Word (see, for example, Vaughn Robert’s God’s Big Picture).  My only criticism is that I wish it were longer and included more Old Testament stories.  Designed for kids 2-7.

0802850111m2.    The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine Vos.  Though nearly 80 years old, this one is a hidden treasure.  In some ways, I have a hard time understanding why my kids love it so.  It’s long (384 pgs.), wordy (double-columns of text), sometimes employs King James language, and only includes an occasional picture (e.g., one every 50 pages or so), and those look like they were drawn 80 years ago (see, for example, the cover art).  And though it took us nearly a year of reading it every night to make it through the entire thing once, this is nonetheless one of our very favorites that the kids continue to rave about.  The author, wife of the famous biblical-theologian Geerhardus Vos, does an outstanding job accurately summarizing the Bible’s accounts and fitting them into the overall drama of redemption.  While it’s recommended for 7-12 year olds, my kids younger than that were captivated by it.

51UWy3hd34L._SX258_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_1.    The Story Bible, by Edward Engelbrecht & Gail Pawlitz.  This lesser-known edition is our family’s all-round favorite for two simple reasons.  First, the artwork is beautiful and realistic (as opposed to outlandish and cartoonish) and second, the text is actual Bible text (simplified ESV) and not somebody’s paraphrase.  This is our default family Bible that we keep reading through again and again, and will occasionally put it aside to read something else, only to come back to it afterward.  I’m so excited about this Bible and so want parents to know about it that I wrote a longer review and recommendation here.  They claim it’s geared for children 3-8, but I have a hard time imagining how anybody wouldn’t benefit from reading it.

Well, those are simply this father’s favorite children’s Bibles.

In the comments section below, let us know what children’s Bibles you’ve found helpful and why you like them.  Any other hidden gems out there?

Timothy Raymond is an editor for Credo Magazine and has been the pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Muncie, Indiana since April 2006. He received his MDiv from the Baptist Bible Seminary of Pennsylvania in 2004 and has pursued further education through the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation. Tim grew up outside Syracuse, NY and previously served at Berean Baptist Church, Nicholson, PA (member and teacher during college and seminary) and Calvary Baptist Church, Sandusky, Ohio (seminary internship location). Tim met his wife Bethany at college, and they were married in May 2001. Tim enjoys reading, weight-lifting, wrestling with his three sons, and attempting to sleep.

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