Bedtime Bible Stories: More Than 180 Faith-Building Readings for Kids Ages 5-8 was jointly authored
by Jane Landreth, Daniel Partner, Renae Brumbaugh, and Linda Carlblom.
The book features, as the name suggests, more than 180
stories that relate to Bible verses. Some of the stories are simple re-tellings
of Bible stories, but others are stories of how particular Bible verses relate to
our lives.
Each story section is two pages long. The first page has an
illustration along with a Bible verse. The second page contains the story that
goes along with the verse as well as what the author calls a “Prayer Starter”.
It’s actually a short prayer, only a sentence or two, that can be used by
itself as a simple prayer or added to by the child if they feel comfortable
doing so.
With the exception of the last verse/story, all are in
chronological Biblical order, starting with Genesis 1 and ending with Revelations
22. The last story in the book talks about Jesus being the King of Kings. The
Biblical reference for this entry comes from the book of Luke.
The
illustrations are beautifully detailed, bright, expressive and very
child-friendly.
What I
Like: Just about everything. This is a Bible that should appeal to young
children through its attention-getting images and its simple stories. I can see
it as the type of Bible children will want to read (or have it read to them)
over and over.
What I
Dislike: Most Bibles that are geared to kids don’t include references to the
book of Revelations. As far as I can recall, this is the first one I’ve read
that does so. That doesn’t necessarily mean I dislike the reference to
Revelation, but I think it is very difficult to explain verses from that
particular book to adults, much less to children. I think the authors did a
good job of referencing the three stories from Revelation, but Revelation
itself does not lend itself well to further exploration beyond the very simplest
explanations.
Also, I
know I’m being picky here, but the introduction to the book, called “Welcome to
the Wonderful World of Bible Stories!” says: “Here are more than 180
carefully-retold Bible stories presented in biblical order…” That’s not a
completely accurate statement. Actually, most of the stories are simple
retellings of Bible stories, but some of them are not; they are stories that
illustrate how a particular Bible verse relates to our lives. I just thought
I’d point that out to potential readers who might be surprised to find that not
all the stories are actual Bible story “retellings” as indicated.
Overall
Rating: Very good.
Age
Appeal: 5-8 years.
Publisher Info: Barbour Publishing, 2012; ISBN: 9781616268435;
Hardcover, 384 pages, $19.99.
Special
Info: Read our reviews of other books written by Renae Brumbaugh and Linda Carlblom.
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