The New Life Bible for Boys/Girls

When your child is old enough to read a simple translation of the Bible, but still enjoys some of the illustrations a Bible storybook has to offer, The New Life Bible for Boys or The New Life Bible for Girls may be just the thing.

Both are Bibles in the New Life Version, which is designed for simplicity and widely considered the most understandable Bible translations. The boy's version features a great illustration of David and Goliath on the cover. The inside includes 12 colorful and stylized cartoonish images of various Bible heroes, including Moses, Joseph, and Paul. Alongside these images are colorful pages offering trivia, "Did You Know?" sidebars, and short explanations of heroes like Joshua, Elijah, David, Daniel, and Peter. There is also a presentation page at the beginning of the Bible.

The girl's version features a modest pink princess (not Disney-fied, thankfully) and the same inner layout, but featuring Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Ruth, Esther, Mary Magdalene, Lydia, and others.

What I Like: Visually, these are very attractive books. The illustrations are stunning in some cases, and certainly eye-catching. I like the trivia and other added features, and the text of the Bible itself is of a reasonable size and not printed on flimsy paper.

What I Dislike: Nothing, really, although I admit to not being a huge fan of the whole princess thing. That said, this Bible handles it very well, focusing on inner qualities, not beauty and romance.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: I'd say 7 - 11 or so.

Publishing Info: Barbour Books; 2012; ISBN (boy's) 978-1616265243, (girl's) 978-1616265151; hardback, 944 pgs., $19.99.

Buy The New Life Bible for Boys at Amazon for $15.59
or The New Life Bible for Girls at Amazon for $14.99

OR

Buy The New Life Bible for Boys at ChristianBook.com for $13.99 (hardback) or $9.99 (paperback)
or The New Life Bible for Girls at ChristianBook.com for $13.99 (hardback) or $9.99 (paperback)