Thursday, August 2, 2007

Daniel and the Lions (The Beginner's Bible)

Daniel and the Lions, another book in The Beginner's Bible series, retells the famous Bible story for young children. First we learn that Daniel is

"the king's favorite helper. But the other helpers did not like Daniel.

'Let's get Daniel into trouble,' the helpers said. They came up with a naughty plan."

The helpers persuade the king to pass a law making it illegal to pray to anyone but him, but Daniel's faith in the Lord doesn't waver. He prays to the real God, anyway. The helpers catch Daniel praying to the Lord and rapidly inform the king.

The king "did not want to hurt Daniel, but he had to go through with his law." He apologizes to Daniel as the illustrations (by Kelly Pulley) show him being lead to a cave where a lion's head is peeking out. God sends an angel to be with Daniel and the illustrations show the big cats cuddling up to him as if they were pets. The next morning, the king hurries to see how Daniel is faring. "Did God save you?" he asks. He sees that Daniel is unharmed and declares "Your God is great!"

What I Like: I appreciate the highly colorful illustrations. I also like much of the text, which boils the story down into simple terms that its target audience can follow fairly easily.

What I Dislike: Some important things are left for parents to explain. In particular, it might be hard for young children to understand that putting Daniel in a den of lions was punishment, and that his life was in jeopardy.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: Infant to preschool.

Publishing Info: Zonderkidz, 2005; ISBN: 0310711142; board book, $5.99.

Buy Now at Christianbook.com for $2.99.

Special Info: Read all our reviews of The Beginner's Bible series by clicking here.

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