The Children's Illustrated Bible

The Children's Illustrated Bible includes 140 stories from Scripture retold by Selina Hastings. When you open this book, you will be pleasantly surprised. Along with each Bible story, there are colorful maps and photos, tidbits of historical knowledge, actual Bible verses (KJV), and helpful definitions. The illustrations are artfully done by Eric Thomas and Amy Burch.

The 140 stories are separated into the following categories: The Old Testament, The Patriarchs, Life in Egypt, Life in Canaan, Conquering Nations, The New Testament, Jesus of Galilee, Daily Life in Jesus' Time, The Early Church, and Paul's Journeys.

There is also an introduction to the Bible which describes the midieval Bible, the Old Testament, The Five Books of Moses, The Dead Sea Scrolls, The New Testament, The Gospels, and Early Editions of the Bible. At the end, there is a section entitled Who's Who in the Bible Stories, making it easier to look up the stories based on a bible character.

How I wish I had known about this little Bible when I was teaching Sunday School! There is so much teaching material packed into the 320 pages of this book. I love the patriarch's family tree, the chart that shows the rulers in the time of Jesus, and the diagram of the plan of the city of Jerusalem.

What I like: This is indeed a comprehensive learning tool. I cannot stress how helpful the illustrations, diagrams, charts, and definitions are. This is definitely a good book for parents to use when they really want to give their children more in depth information about a particular Bible story.

What I dislike: This book is not for those who have poor eyesight! The type is extremely small and hard to see. I have heard complaints about the way that The Lord's Prayer is rendered, and I must agree. The book reads: "Our Lord who is in Heaven, holy is your name. Your kingdom is coming. We will obey you on Earth as you are obeyed in Heaven. Give us our daily food. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive the sins of others. Do not lead us into temptation, but save us from evil." Parents may also want to be aware that Jesus is pictured in many of the New Testament stories.

Overall Rating: Very good

Age Appeal: 7-12, although parents can use this book with ages 4-8

Publisher Info: New Leaf Press, 1996, ISBN:089221332, hardcover, $16.99.

Buy Now at Christianbook.com for $16.99!

or buy at Amazon.com for $14.32 (this is a newer edition, published in 2004)