In my last resource review, I mentioned my oldest was three when he memorized the story of David and Goliath. And it was from this Bible. The mental image of him in his toddler bed jutting out from the corner, the blond ringlets you could stick your finger through, the PJ’s that read “I heart Dad” with the matching striped pants.
“I am not afraid to fight the giant,” said David. King Saul called for David and told him, “You cannot fight the giant. You are too young.”
David replied, “God will be with me.”
That little boy with the cherub cheeks? He’s 14 now.
Admittedly, he’s a little less cherubic. His face has grown so much more angular. A month ago, he passed me in height. And where his whole body used to fit in my abdomen? Now his feet wouldn’t even fit in there.
But somewhere, under that mass of still-blonde curls that flop over his forehead, I know the story of David and Goliath is still in there, reminding him who fights our battles.
So I’m tickled pink for this unpaid review of Zondervan’s Beginner’s Bible–an updated version of the one I lapped up with my son every night a decade ago, every time we tucked him in.
Think Bigger about Children’s Bibles
In fact, my mind is spinning about just which person I can give this to as a gift this year. (I had to chose one, so I just went while typing and bought another online.)
See, when we were in Uganda and giving away “Christmas bundles”–local saucepans stuffed with candles, matches, sugar, tea, laundry detergent packets–we would allow people to choose between Bibles and children’s Bibles. For less literate families, children’s Bibles had the added benefit that everyone in the family could read them and start hearing truths about our God.
I’ve found that families who are God-friendly, who may not be attending church right now, will still cuddle up with a Bible storybook with their kids.
If you’re still looking for a great gift idea for one of your kids, grandkids, niece, nephew, or little friend of yours–you may have just found it. Bonus: I’m seeing it for around $11.50 at the time of this post (even cheaper used! Since it’s going to look that way after about two minutes with a preschooler), for a book 513 pages long.
And guess what? The Kindle version is only $1.99. It’s hard to pass up a 513-page children’s book for two bucks, even for kids to flip through on their own on a road trip. (Keep reading for a FREE GIVEAWAY at the end of this post!)
Overall Impressions
Since its first release back in 1989 (do I remember my baby sister reading this?), I’m sure a lot has changed. But the most obvious change for little eyes are that the illustrations now have shadows and dimensions, looking more polished and vivid to capture short attention spans. (Y’know how Mickey Mouse Clubhouse makes Mickey and the gang look a little 3D? That’s the change I’m talking about.) There are a whopping 94 stories in simple language, ranging from around 5-8 pages in each story, with 20-25 words on each page.
The book is very colorful–like looking at cartoons. And I’m grateful for the improvement on the basic-looking illustrations from previous versions.
As an adult, this looks doable. As in, mothers of preschoolers have had kids welded around your ankles all day and you can practically smell the finish line. (Well. After the kids pop out of bed for water, the bathroom, and that all-important one more kiss goodnight.)
You look down at this book and think, I can read this in two minutes. We can do this. I can have quality time discipling my child, even when I’m so tired I’m not sure I can remember my own name.
Though characters are of a variety of skin tones and other races are represented, there’s still a stark majority of Caucasian, Jesus being among them.
There’s a short dictionary in the back for explaining odd words like temple, altar, or baptize to little ears.
One of my favorite features? Their website is packed, I tell you, with supplementary materials. Your child could literally create his or her own “Bible” of coloring pages from the stories. This means it’s great for teaching Sunday School and Children’s Church, too. See more in the “Take-it-further Ideas” section.
Number of Stories: 94 (48 Old Testament, 46 New Testament)
Accuracy (1-10): 8
Doesn’t use actual Scripture or quotes. Remains fairly true to the Bible. Jonah’s fish, for example, is not a whale.
But there are a few stretches, like Herod’s reaction to the wise men’s no-show: “He yelled at his soldiers, ‘Go and find the boy! I will be the only king of the Jews!'” (Not technically. See Matthew 2:16.)
These instances may sound picky to some. But since I’m evaluating accuracy, this is what would cause my to review this at an 8 rather than a 9.
One perk: Each story tells you the exact Scripture references the story was taken from, so for all of you whose kids keep wanting more details (not that any of you would have a kid who asks forty zillion questions)–you can look up the exact story. Bonus: If you read as a family at night, this could be a helpful “advanced” version of the same story for older kids.
Level of engagement for targeted age group (scale of 1-10): 9
This is targeted at 0-4 year olds, with a grade level of P-3. It would probably be fairly old for a second or third grader, but this is spot-on for the rest.
Ratio of pictures to text/usability for early readers
Each page has around 20-25 words per page. One section I evaluated rated a 4.3 on the Flesch-Kincaid grade level scale). It’s much easier to read than, say, Curious George, and from eyeing it, looks to be in about a 16 point font. For a kindergarten to first grade reader, this would be a great book for them to read on their own.
Other Picky Details
Publisher: Zonderkidz, of Zondervan (owned by HarperCollins), 513 pages.
Revised edition release: 4 October 2016.
Binding: Hardcover; looks to be sewn, not glued. (Glued means the book “mousetraps” shut, and affects some of its durability. Y’know, in case your preschooler or toddler can be a little…hard on things? Like uses the book as a chair, or a doorstop, or a brick, or a weapon against a sister, or builds a house with his or her books.)
Illustrator: Denis Alonso
Edited by: Catherine DeVries
Take-it-further Ideas
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- The Beginner’s Bible website has a ton of free printable resources! We’re talking sticker pages, a poster, coloring pages, snack ideas, placemats, and trivia cards.
- The website also has free online games, coloring pages for every story, mazes…the supplemental material here is amazing.
- After you’ve read a story a few times, ask your child to “read” it to you, or even act it out. Costumes optional.
- It’s a bit dated, but there’s actually a Beginner’s Bible YouTube channel, with near half-hour cartoons of some of your kids’ favorite stories!
- Staple together a few sheets of paper for kids to illustrate their own version of the story.
- Create great memories around reading Bible stories. Whip up a cup of hot chocolate, burrow in some blankets, let them stay up a few minutes to read “just one more.” Don’t miss these ideas on Spiritual Disciplines for Real Families: Fun Ways to Study God’s Word (with FREE printables).
As much as I’m talking about accuracy here, it’s fine with me if my kids imagine what the characters were thinking or saying, internalizing the characters’ reality. And I love it when they add humor. Isn’t it great to create fun memories around Bible stories?
2 Comments
Julie - 6 years ago
I’d love to have the Beginner’s Bible to use as a resource for our Littles Sunday School class. We recently started a Bible-preaching church in my husband’s hometown of Keota, Iowa. I am also familiar with the Beginner’s Bible and know it will work well to begin to familiarize these unchurched kiddos with the wonderful truths of the Bible.
Janel Breitenstein - 6 years ago
That sounds like a fabulous, Julie! So thankful for that class of yours. I’ll let you know!