Book Review: Song of the Stars

Song of the Stars. Sally Lloyd-Jones. Illustrated by Alison Jay. 2011. Zondervan. 32 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: The world was about to change forever. And it almost went by unnoticed…

Premise/plot: Song of the Stars is a Christmas story, a nativity story. The first twenty pages creatively display God's creation 'praising' God and 'preparing' for the advent of the Creator. The theme of their praise being: "It's time! It's time! Be glad! Be glad!" The second half takes a more traditional approach perhaps. At last we get a glimpse of Bethlehem and Mary and Joseph.

My thoughts: I liked it. Some spreads I more than liked: I loved. The focus was almost exclusively on various animals--and not even animals in Bethlehem--or creation itself. The illustrations almost reveal an almost Noah's Ark type procession of animals coming to worship baby Jesus.

The writing is lyrical.

"The One who made us has come to live with us!" 

Lying on a bed of straw
wrapped in rags--
a tiny little baby.

Heaven's Son
sleeping under the stars
that he made.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Bible Review: NIrV Study Bible for Kids

NIrV Study Bible for Kids. 2015. Zondervan/Zonderkidz. 1824 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Is it a study Bible? Is it for kids?

It is definitely for kids. The translation is the New International Reader's Version. The text is essentially as simple as it can get while being an actual translation of the Bible. (As opposed to say a paraphrase OR a children's bible story book.)

Here are a few verses so that you can see for yourself what the translation is like.

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. John 3:16

The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He lets me lie down in fields of green grass. He leads me beside quiet waters. He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths for the honor of his name. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. You are with me. Your shepherd’s rod and staff comfort me. You prepare a feast for me right in front of my enemies. You pour oil on my head. My cup runs over. I am sure that your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. And I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:1-6

I believe it is perhaps designed to be a child's first Bible. There is a special two-page spread right after the presentation page that explains in very simple terms about the Bible. 

The Bible is…

• called the Word of God because it is the book of God.
• Inspired by God--he directed 40 people to write down his words.
• organized into 66 books which were written over 1,000 years.
• divided into headings, chapters, and verses within each book.

What is in the Bible?
The Bible tells us about…

• Who God is and how he loves people.
• Boys, girls, kings, queens, miracles, trials, friends, enemies, angels, demons, wars, victories, heaven, and hell.
• Sin (turning away from God) and how sin hurts us and the world.
• The way God wants us to live--with love for him and others.

The Bible can be divided into sections like books are organized in a library.

The Old Testament

• Law
• History
• Poetry
• Major Prophets
• Minor Prophets

The New Testament

• Gospels
• Church History
• Letters
• Prophecy

A chart on the next page shows which books of the Bible go into each section. I could see this being very useful for a young child. You do have to start somewhere after all. You have to be taught these Bible basics. And this Bible's introductory matter does that in a bright and colorful way.

A few pages further on, readers find a "How to Use This Bible" spread. This tells readers--of all ages--what makes this edition of the NIrV so special, so unique. For example, it has book introductions; it has special features like "brain game," "check it out," and "soak it up." "Soak it up" are suggested memory verses. "Brain Game" are questions to ask yourself about the text. "Check it out" add a little background and context to understanding the text. (But mainly just illustrations and summaries of what's going on in the text.)

If that was it, if that was all there was to this study Bible, it would be a bit disappointing to me. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable calling it a study Bible. But fortunately there is more.

Not all the features are to be found within the text of the Bible. "Life in New Testament Times" is a five page article to help children contextualize what they're reading. There are paragraphs about places of worship, the laws of God, the Sabbath Day, different religious groups, the Roman Empire, tax collectors, everyday life, houses, food, clothing, work, schools, etc. There is also a dictionary that is about eight pages long.

One of my favorite features is called "Reading the Bible." This shows young readers THREE ways to read the Bible. I'll show you option A down below. But option B focuses on top Bible stories. And Option C is choose your own. But the recommendation is still just a chapter a day.

Option A

1. Get three bookmarks and put one at Genesis 1, one at Psalm 1, and one at Matthew 1.
2. Each day, read one chapter starting at Genesis 1 or Matthew 1 and move your bookmark to where you finished. When you finish one book of the Bible, continue to the next one, or jump over to one of your other bookmarks and start reading there.
3. Starting at Psalm 1, each day read one or two verses in Psalms and continue through Proverbs. When you read the end of Proverbs, start again at Psalm 1.

Readers can also learn about:

• Worship
• Prayer
• Love
• Attributes of God
• Attributes of Jesus
• Attributes of the Holy Spirit
• The Ten Commandments
• The Lord's Prayer
• The ABC's of Becoming a Christian (Admit, Believe, Confess)
• Quick definitions of key words like sin, repentance, grace, forgiveness, hell, and heaven

So there is some substance to this children's study Bible. The substance is more in clusters than spread throughout within chapters and verses. But it is there to be found if you look! There are also quite a few illustrations keeping it reader-friendly. It might be intimidating perhaps to go straight from a Bible story book to an actual Bible. And the illustrations are very nice, very colorful.

I do like that this is a KIDS Bible. It isn't a "Boy's" Bible or a "Girl's" Bible. While gender-specific Bibles can be attractive and appealing on the outside, I'm not sure it's truly necessary to have separate Bibles for boys and girls--or men and women for that matter. I've reviewed both in the past. And I believe I noted it before, but, the boy's Bible I found had more substantive notes in it than the girl's bible.

So is it a study Bible? For adults who own the MacArthur Study Bible or the ESV Study Bible might have to search a great deal until they find something "study-ish" about it, I think it is a study Bible. If you knew nothing, and this was your first "real" Bible, I think there would be plenty of information to get you started. Now I would say it's for a younger age group. By the time you're in fourth or fifth grade--depending on your reading level, or, reading ability--I think there would be better Bibles to help you get started studying God's Word.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Love Letters From God

Love Letters From God. Glenys Nellist. Illustrated by Sophie Allsopp. 2014. Zondervan. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I enjoyed the concept of this children's bible story book. It retells bible stories, but, it adds a little something extra. Each bible story spread includes a letter and an envelope. Or perhaps I should say "envelope." It is more of a lifting of the flap to reveal the letters. The letters are written directly to the reader, in the second person, which gives it a personal touch.

The stories:

• In the Very Beginning (Genesis 1) (Jeremiah 29:11)
• The Sneaky Snake (Genesis 3) (Isaiah 43:25)
• Noah Needs His Nails (Genesis 6-8) (Isaiah 46:4)
• The Brave Little Brother (Genesis 37-42) (Joshua 1:5)
• The Little Boy Who Listened (1 Samuel 3:1-10) (Isaiah 43:1)
• David's Day (1 Samuel 16:1-13) (Isaiah 41:9)
• The Stone That Struck the Giant (1 Samuel 17) (Isaiah 43:5)
• The Lions Who Lost Their Lunch (Daniel 6) (Genesis 28:15)
• The Very Smelly Belly (Jonah 1, 2) (Jeremiah 29:12)
• Bethlehem's Baby Boy (Luke 1) (Jeremiah 31:3)
• The Team of Twelve (Mark 1:16-20, 2:13-15) (Exodus 19:5)
• The Super-Duper Picnic (John 6) (Exodus 33:17)
• Wind and Waves (Mark 4:35-41) (Isaiah 42:6)
• The Little Lost Lamb (Luke 15) (Ezekiel 34:31)
• The Tiny Tax Collector (Luke 19:1-10) (John 15:15)
• Remember Me (Luke 22:14-20) (Isaiah 49:15)
• The Saddest Story (Luke 23:23-49) (John 16:22)
• The Happy Ending (John 20:1-18) (John 14:19)

From The Sneaky Snake
The story itself:

In the beautiful Garden of Eden lived a very sneaky snake. He did not like God, and he did like Adam and Eve. He wanted them out of the garden. So one night, that sneaky snake thought up a very sneaky plan. The next morning, that slimy, sneaky snake slithered up to Eve and quietly whispered in her ear.

The letter to readers:

Dear ____________,
Do you ever do things you shouldn't like Adam and Eve did? It makes me sad when my children do something wrong. But I want you to know that if you say you're sorry and trust me, the most wonderful thing will happen--I will not remember your sins! I will only remember how much I love you…because you are my precious child, and nothing you can do will ever stop me from loving you.
With a heart full of love, GOD

From The Team of Twelve
The story itself:

Have you ever been hunting for treasure? When Jesus was all grown up, he went hunting for treasure. But he wasn't looking for treasure that sparkles. He wasn't looking for treasure that glitters. He was looking for people. Jesus needed people who would follow him and help tell the world about God. Now if he could find those people, that would be like finding treasure.

The letter to readers:

Dear _______________,
Did you know Jesus want you to be part of his team? His team is the best team you could ever join…because Jesus is in charge! And you would be so good at following him and helping him tell the world about me. Will you say "yes" to Jesus? If you will be part of his team, that will make Jesus and me so happy! And more than that, you will be like treasure to him. In fact, you will be one of the very best treasures Jesus has ever found!
With lots of love, GOD

Did I love Love Letters from God? Well, I wanted to love it. I did enjoy most of the stories and letters. But there were some stories/letters that I am slightly concerned about. Little things mostly. A phrase here and there that just strikes me as being a bit off. One recurring element is this "Jesus' team" stuff. I'm not a fan of the imagery. Perhaps I've seen The Biggest Question a few too many times.


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Bible Review: NIrV Adventure Bible

NIrV Adventure Bible for Early Readers (Revised). Lawrence O. Richards, ed. 2014. Zonderkidz. 1584 pages. [Source: Review copy]

This Bible opens with a bright and bold spread called How to Use the Bible. I can appreciate that. It is important for readers of all ages--young and not-so-young--to know how to use a particular Bible. This makes sense especially for early readers who are just beginning to make sense of how books work. Readers learn about what a table of contents is, what a dictionary is, how to read the Bible text (name of the book, chapter numbers, verse numbers, subject headings, etc). I admit most of this stuff older readers probably take for granted. But we all have to start somewhere, sometime.

Since this was my first time reading the NIrV, I took time to read "A Word About the New International Reader's Version." I am glad I read it. Probably my favorite thing that I learned was this:

We decided to give you a lot of other help too. For example, sometimes a verse is quoted from another place in the Bible. When it is, we tell you the Bible book, chapter and verse it comes from. We put that information right after the verse that quotes from another place. 

At the time I received this review copy, I was reading Hebrews 30 days in a row. Hebrews quotes from the Old Testament a LOT. And I was finding it interesting to see how different translations handled it. For example, the NASB, uses ALL CAPS, and the HCSB--or at least some editions of the HCSB--go bold. ESV, at least at first glance, appears to use block quotes. I appreciated how the NIrV handled the quotes. I did. I really appreciated the clarity of it. (Hebrews 1, Bible Gateway)

Since the NIrV uses simpler vocabulary and shorter sentences, I wanted to try the translation out in some of the harder books, the more intimidating books. I chose to read Jeremiah and Ezekiel! I definitely noticed the shorter sentence length, that's for sure. Overall, I liked the translation, at least in these books. I still haven't read the gospels in the NIrV.

Now that I've talked about the translation, I'll spend some time talking about features of this particular bible.

Book introductions. I want to say these book introductions are similar to others that I've seen recently in NIV children's bibles. Very simple and straightforward in a question and answer format.

Genesis
Who wrote this book? Moses wrote this book
Why was this book written? This book tells how God created the world. It also tells about the special promises God made to Abraham.
What do we learn about God in this book? God created all things. God loves people. But God wants people to obey him. God promises to save people who trust him.
Who is important in this book? Important people in this book are Adam, Eve, and Noah. Abraham and Sarah are also important. Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are important too.
When did this happen? No one knows when the creation or the flood happened. Abraham was born about 2,000 years before Jesus was born.
Where did this happen? The first part of Genesis happened somewhere in the Middle East. Many people think that the Garden of Eden was in the country we now call Iraq. The rest of Genesis takes place in Egypt and Canaan.
What are some stories in this book?
God creates the world -- Genesis 1
God creates Adam and Eve -- Genesis 2
Adam and Eve sin -- Genesis 3
God saves Noah and the animals -- Genesis 6-8
God gives Abram a promise -- Genesis 12
Jacob steals Esau's blessing -- Genesis 27
Joseph's brothers sell him -- Genesis 37
Joseph becomes a ruler -- Genesis 39-41

I do like the book introductions. They are simple and informative. They provide a foundation for continued learning.

Other features. This bible offers plenty of bold and colorful features. Words to Treasure. Did You Know? Live It! People in Bible Times, Life in Bible Times, etc.  To name just a few. They certainly add visual appeal to the text, excuses for color. But I must admit that after reading and LOVING the Jesus Bible earlier this year, that I was disappointed. The Live It! sections probably disappointed me more than the rest. But everything is subjective. You may appreciate them more.

How to Stop Family Fights
Abram and Lot's shepherds were fighting. They fought about who would get to use the best land. They fought about who would get to use the water for their animals. There just wasn't enough room for both groups to live. Abram decided to stop the fight. Read Genesis 13:1-18 to find out how he did it.
Most brothers and sisters fight at times. Here's how your family can stop the fighting:
From the story of Abram, make up family rules, like: Give the other person first choice. Be content with what is left.
Make a tag with Abram's name on it. When you have a family fight, choose a person to wear the "Abram" tag. Let him or her use the rules you have made to stop the fight.
You can take turns being Abram. Then you each can learn how to please God as Abram did. (16)

Praying In Your Heart
Praying in your heart means praying to God without saying anything out loud. In Genesis 24:1-21 Abraham's servant may have prayed in his heart.
Here are some times when you might want to pray in your heart:
1. In school when you are about to take a test.
2. When you are about to cross a busy street.
3. On the school bus if bigger kids tease you.
Draw pictures of three other places where you might want to pray in your heart. (27)

The New International Reader's Version was revised in 2014. This is the newest revision of the Adventure Bible for Early Readers.

I am glad I read from this Bible. I am. I had never read from the NIrV before. And while it won't become my new translation of choice, I am very glad that there is a Bible written simply enough for children newly learning to read to understand. And I am glad that this edition is reader-friendly, very bright and colorful, lots of pictures.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Bible Review: The Jesus Bible

The Jesus Bible, NIV: Discover Jesus in Every Book of the Bible. 2014. Zondervan (Zonderkidz) 1760 pages. [Source: Review copy]

THE CHRISTIAN IS ALWAYS pleased and delighted when he can see Christ in the Scriptures. If he can but detect the footstep of his lord, and discover that the sacred writers are making some reference to him, however indistinct or dark he will rejoice there at: for all the Scriptures are nothing except as we find Christ in them. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "A Wise Desire"

Last fall, I reviewed The Gospel Transformation Bible published by Crossway (ESV). I loved, loved, loved, LOVED it. I was thrilled with the premise. The Jesus Bible published by Zonderkidz has a very similar premise but a different target audience. The Jesus Bible is geared more towards kids than adults. (Not that adults can't benefit from reading this one to a certain extent--truth is truth is truth. But still, I'd say this one was especially written for children.)

So what were my first impressions of the Jesus Bible?

I love it. I do. I just LOVE it. I love so many things about it. There are 365 devotionals. I am not one who usually "loves" devotionals. I can like them. I can sometimes even really like them. But actual love-love, well, that's a bit rarer for me. But. The devotionals in The Jesus Bible, well, they work for me. I think they would have worked for me as a kid--I think I would have loved this one as a kid. I loved to read the Bible. But it was a whole different world back then. Children's bibles then meant a dozen illustrations or so and slightly larger text. As an adult, I can appreciate the devotionals as well. The idea that truth is being presented so clearly, so accessibly to young readers, well, it excites me!!!

Show the Glory (2 Thessalonians 1:12, NIV)
You've heard a lot about glorifying God. But what does that really mean? The word glory means the brilliance of God on display. Glory is the awesome character of God, in all his power and authority and wisdom. When we glorify God, we make his character known to people around us. In other words, we show the world the awesome power and brilliance of God.
Jesus showed the world God's power, authority, and wisdom. He performed miracles, forgave sins, and taught people God's Word. He glorified God by obeying God and serving people. Jesus was the brilliance of God for all humankind to see.
We can glorify God by obeying him and serving others. We can glorify him by singing about how awesome he is. We can glorify God by forgiving others like he forgives us. We can glorify God by sharing the good news about Jesus with others.
Glory is a pretty heavy word, isn't it? Glorifying God is a big job, but Jesus graciously gives us the ability to do it.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, please show me a way to glorify you today. Amen. (1566)

The Exact Replica (Hebrews 1:3, NIV)
This verse in Hebrews 1 is unique. It contains two Greek words that aren't used anywhere else in the Bible. The first Greek word is apaugasma. Can you say that one? It means radiance. Jesus is the radiance of God's glory. He is all the brilliance, all the light of God.
The second Greek word is charakter. It means exact representation. Want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus. Want to know God's character? Look at Jesus.
In all the fullness of God's glory, Jesus gives us an exact picture of who God is. When we read about Jesus and how he loves all people, forgives even the worst mistakes, and performs miracles, that's exactly what God is like. And that is why Jesus now sits at the right hand of God in heaven.
Jesus is God. Jesus is God's Word. Jesus came to earth so we could see who God really is.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for giving us an exact picture of you. Thank you for letting me see who you are through everything Jesus said and did. Amen. (1594)

I've read the devotionals for Genesis through Deuteronomy, Psalms and Proverbs, the first half of Isaiah, Luke and John, and many of the epistles. I've read enough to know that I LOVE this feature of the Jesus Bible!

So what other features does it offer readers? In the Old Testament there are "Hints of the Savior" and in the New Testament we see "Jesus Revealed." Combine the two features--and they are meant to be linked--and you have seventy-five opportunities of discovering Jesus in every book!

Hints of the Savior

• Genesis 3:15 God promised that Jesus would be born as a human and would crush Satan. Turn to Galatians 4:4-5 and Revelation 12:1 to see the fulfillment.
• Genesis 12:1-3 Jesus would come to save all people. Turn to Romans 10:4, 12-13 to see the fulfillment.
• Genesis 18:25 Jesus would be the judge over the whole world. Turn to Acts 10:42 to see the fulfillment.
• Exodus 28:1, 29 Jesus would be our high priest like Aaron. Turn to Hebrews 6:19-20 to see the fulfillment.
• Exodus 28:4, 42-43 Jesus would be our priestly garments, representing righteousness. Turn to Philippians 3:9 to see the fulfillment.

Jesus Revealed

• Hebrews 8:1 Jesus is our high priest and king in heaven. This was prophesied in Zechariah 6:12-13.
• Hebrews 9:11-15, 27-28, Jesus' death and resurrection ended the grip of sin. This was prophesied in Daniel 9:24. 
• Hebrews 10:12 Jesus is in heaven sitting at God's right hand. This was prophesied in Psalm 110:1.
• 1 Peter 1:18-21 Jesus was the perfect, sinless Passover sacrifice. This was prophesied in Exodus 12:3-7 and Deuteronomy 16:2-6.

In terms of application, readers get touches of this in some of the devotionals and in the "Live Like Jesus" features.

Live Like Jesus (Luke 6:27)
If you've ever had a real enemy, you know how you feel about him or her. Can you even imagine loving that person? Jesus tells us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. It's tempting though, to overlook this command. You might think, "Jesus doesn't understand what I'm going through. Jesus doesn't know my enemy. I can't love that person!" But Jesus does know. Jesus had enemies who hated him so much that they killed him. But Jesus loved them every step of the way, all the way to his death. And with his power, we can love our enemies too. (1346)

There are also book introductions for each book! They are short and simple, yet informative.

1 Thessalonians
Where is Jesus in this book?
This letter talks about Jesus' second coming--his return to earth. Jesus will come again in power and glory to make the world and everything in it new and beautiful again (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 3:13). This letter also talks about how we can please God and live differently from the people around us who don't love Jesus.
Who wrote this book? Paul.
Why was this book written? The book of 1 Thessalonians teaches the Christians in Thessalonica how to please God.
For whom was this book written? This book is a letter Paul sent to Christians at Thessalonica.
When was this book written? This book was written about A.D. 51 from Corinth.
What are some important teachings in this book?

• Being Christian Examples   1 Thessalonians 1:4-10
• Living to Please God           1 Thessalonians 4:3-12
• Jesus Will Come Again       1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

There are also some special charts and lists in this Bible. Some of these include:

• Jesus in the Psalms
• Miracles of Jesus
• Jesus by the Numbers
• The "I Am" Statements of Jesus
• Parables of Jesus
• Who Saw Jesus Alive?
• Time Line of Jesus' Life
• Simplified Family Tree of Jesus

The only feature that I don't love? Well, the Words of Christ are in red. I have strong preferences for black-letter Bibles. BUT. I've learned to overlook this "weakness" of the Bible because it is so great everywhere else!!!

Would I recommend it?

I would definitely recommend this one! I think it would make a great choice for children. I think it would be a great first choice for a Bible. It has just enough features to be friendly, inviting, and appealing. It's informative. The focus is where it ought to be--GOD. I really appreciated so many things about this one.

Remember, dear Friends, that Christ Himself is the Word of God, and also remember that the Scriptures are the word of the Word. They are "the word of Christ." I think that they will be all the sweeter to you if you realize that they speak to you of Christ, that He is the sum and substance of them, that they direct you to Christ, in fact, as John says of His Gospel, that they were "written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name." Remember, also, that the Scriptures do, in effect, come to us from Christ. Every promise of this blessed Book is a promise of Christ, "for all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him, Amen, unto the glory of God by us." They all come to us through Christ, God speaks them to us through Him as the Mediator. Indeed, we may regard the whole of the Sacred Scriptures, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, as being "the word of Christ." ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Rhyme Bible

The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers. L.J. Sattgast. Illustrated by Laurence Cleyet-Merle. 2014. Zonderkidz. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

In this board book, ten classic Bible stories are told in rhyme for young children to enjoy. The stories include:

God Made Everything (Genesis 1, 2)
The Floating Zoo (Genesis 6-9)
Baby in a Boat (Exodus 2)
David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
Where Did Jonah Go? (Jonah 1, 2)
Daniel Prays (Daniel 6)
Who Saw Jesus? (Luke 2)
A Tasty Lunch (John 6)
Jesus is Coming (Luke 19-23)
Jesus is Alive! (John 21*)

This book is simple, quite simple, with just a few sentences per page. Each story is several pages in length. Six stories come from the Old Testament. Four stories come  from the New Testament. Each story, as I mentioned earlier, is told in rhyme.

Where Did Jonah Go?

God spoke to Jonah.
He said, "Go! Go! Go!"
But Jonah didn't listen.
He said, "No! No! No!"

Jonah ran and tried to hide.
He found a ship and went inside.
But God sent stormy winds outside
To blow, blow, blow!

A fish was waiting hungrily.
It swallowed Jonah easily--
Oh! Oh! Oh!

Jonah prayed inside the fish,
So, so sad.
He said to God, "I'm sorry
I was so, so bad."

Jonah heard the Lord's command:
"Go and preach in other lands."
And Jonah said,
(Can you guess?)
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Overall, I thought this was a nice book. I'm not sure any of the stories are great poetry. I'm not sure the rhymes have rhythm exactly (which can be just as important as ending in rhyme, in my opinion). But. I liked it. I think this one would be a good choice for parents to share with their little ones.

*The book has a typo. They list John 2, not John 21, as the source for this resurrection story.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Adventure Bible Storybook

Adventure Bible Storybook: Deluxe Edition. Catherine DeVries. Illustrated by Jim Madsen. 2009. Zonderkidz. 288 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Twenty-three Old Testament stories. Twenty-eight New Testament stories. A good blend, I think. I definitely like that each story takes several pages which allows for more illustrations. So many Bible story books seem to limit stories to just two pages. The average story in this collection is SIX pages. The deluxe edition features the audio book with all the stories.

From Noah's Voyage:

Noah swayed in his hammock, drifting in and out of sleep. The rain was coming down hard now. And the thunder sounded close. Noah could hear the squawks, oinks, woofs, moos, baa-as, and roars of all the animals in his noisy neighborhood. It wasn't easy living here. Suddenly the ark lurched, and Noah fell out of his hammock. It was time to milk the cows anyway. (18-19)

From Esther and the King:

Esther twirled her dress in a perfect circle and smiled at the king. Of all the women in the beauty contest, the king liked Esther the best. So Esther became the queen. (118)

From Earth Bound:

A woman rode a donkey into Bethlehem. Her tummy was huge. Very soon she would give birth to her baby. Joseph and Mary went to every inn to see if there was any room for them to stay. But at all the doors, the people just shook their heads no. Then a door opened. A man peered out and noticed Mary. "Looks like she needs a place to rest," he said. "You can stay in my stable out back. It's not much, but at least it's warm and dry." (136-37)

From Stormy Night:

The calm night of sailing across the Sea of Galilee had turned into a stormy disaster. The disciples controlled the boat as best they could, but water was pouring in and they were afraid. (192)

I enjoy reading and reviewing Bible story books. Some bible story books are written for younger readers (toddlers, preschoolers, etc), others are written for older younger readers (K-2). Some are meant to be read aloud, others are meant to be read by children themselves. The Adventure story book could easily fall into both categories: it could be read aloud to serve younger children OR read by older children on their own.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible