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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Book Review: 365 Great Bible Stories

365 Great Bible Stories
Preview A Sample

 
I have to be honest, when I saw that Christian Focus was publishing 365 Great Bible Stories by Carine Mackenzie, my first thought was, "Do we really need another children's Bible?" There are already several excellent children's Bible on the market. However, our family has been incredibly blessed by all of the resources that we have purchased from Christian Focus so I really wanted to look through this children's Bible and compare it to the others that we have come to love.

As expected, Christian Focus did not disappoint. Here are some of the excellent features of 365 Great Bible Stories:

  • Text that is faithful to the Biblical account with minimal commentary,
  • Bible references included with section titles,
  • Clearly articulates "The Good News of Jesus Christ from Genesis to Revelation" (as stated in the subtitle ;),
  • Communicates important  Biblical truths with clarity,
  • Simple illustrations that are not too distracting (and no illustrations of Christ which is important to some people),
  • Heavy-duty pages and a built-in ribbon bookmark. :)

Additionally, there are a couple of things that set this children's Bible apart. Having 365 Bible stories, it covers significantly more of the Bible storyline than the traditional children's story Bible. (Our favorite story Bibles for children have 26, 42, and 90 stories.) Each story is contained on one page with a simple illustration and something about which to think, pray, or discuss. Even my three-year-old daughter was able to sit still long enough to read and discuss a selection.

Another feature that makes this children's Bible unique is the way that it highlights recurring "Themes and Topics" with illustrations throughout the book. For example,  "When you spot a dove picture that's a story about the Holy Spirit" (pg. 4). Other themes include: "Jesus Christ and Salvation, Wars and Battles, and Travellings and Journeys." You can simply flip through the story Bible, stopping at similar illustrations to trace a Biblical theme.

While there is no replacement for the living and active Word of God, it is helpful to have resources to help our children see the redemptive storyline of the Bible. 365 Great Bible Stories is another helpful resource to that end. It can be used by itself or along with a Bible to help bring greater clarity to the Truth in God's Word and the message of salvation.

*Many thanks to Christian Focus Publications for sending me a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

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