God's Great Creation

As your child learns to read, it's a fantastic thing for them to start learning the habit of Bible reading. You can make this happen by offering your child reading level appropriate books of Bible stories. God's Great Creation is such a book (level 2), and worth considering as an addition to your library.

The book, which is based upon the Adventure Bible for children, tells the story of creation and of the fall. It covers the days of creation, then the creation of Adam and Eve. God gives Eden to Adam and Eve, but tells them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Satan, in the form of a snake, convinces Eve to eat exactly the fruit God has warned them not to. Adam partakes, as well. God punishes the snake, then sends Adam and Eve from the garden.

What I Like: I love it when my kids can read Bible stories! I also like David Miles' illustrations (although they seem a bit dark in my copy of the book). And overall, I think the interpretation of the biblical account is just right for early readers. Best of all, the book hints at God's grace; at the end of the book, after God takes Adam and Eve out of Eden, the book reads: "As they left the garden God was planning how to help his people."

What I Dislike: There is one thing I dislike about this book - something parents should be aware of before giving God's Great Creation to their kids. In this book, after God creates Eve, he says: "Use all you see with respect. And follow my one rule: do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil."

But the Bible does not say God told Adam and Eve to "use all you see with respect." It says (in Gen. 2:15, before Eve is even created) "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.'" So, God's Great Creation is not only a bit inaccurate, but also politically correct, which may bother some parents.

Overall Rating: I struggled with how to rate this book, given the "dislike" above. Ultimately, I think it's a good opportunity for parents to dig out the real Bible and compare the text with this book. Therefore, I'm giving this book a "Good" rating.

Age Appeal: about 4 - 8.


Publishing Info: Zondervan, 2014; ISBN:  978-0310732389; paperback, 32 pgs., $3.99

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