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Early elementary Bible


tntgoodwin
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I am looking for a good, theologically accurate children's Bible, or Bible storybook. It would need to be on a Pre-K to 1st grade type level...

One that has been suggested to me, and looks pretty good is

 

http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Storybook-Bible-Deluxe-Lloyd-Jones/dp/0310718783/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

 

Wondering if anyone else knew of any good ones?

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The Jesus Storybook Bible is great. I don't love the art, but others do.

 

The Big Picture Story Bible is nice as well. I like the art better but the theology less (not to say that it's bad, but the strands pulled together in JSB is so well done)

 

Catherine Vos' The Child's Story Bible is excellent. We've been using it during family devotions (my husband reads) and all are enjoying it. It is more detailed than the above, but less and with more explanation than a Bible. You can find editions with no pictures of Jesus too ... wish I had. Even in our edition there are very few pictures, it is mostly text.

 

The Mighty Acts of God is new, we own but haven't read it yet, it looks really really good. Starr Meade put it together, her books include Training Hearts, Teaching Minds and other well-thought of devotions for children and teens. This one seems "in between" on pictures to text. Most pages have some illustration, but there is still plenty of text.

Edited by ladydusk
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That is a good one. The content is great. I don't like the artwork in that Bible so I let my 6yo read it to his brothers instead of using it for school. I'm pretty picky about Bible artwork not being cartoony. Because of that, I wouldn't be comfortable using it as our sole source. For us, it would be more on the Pre-K-K level.

 

For school, I use 101 Favorite Stories from the Bible for K, Egermeier's Bible for 1st and am about to start Vos' Storybook Bible with my almost 7yo. I was very impressed with Egermeier's! I'd be fine repeating it this year except I've heard so many great things about Vos. Egermeier's is pretty inclusive for a child's version and accurate. However, it would be too wordy for a Pre-K'er. My 4yo listened in, but got more out of the Family-Time Bible we use for Pre-K.

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The Jesus Storybook Bible is great. I don't love the art, but others do.

 

The Big Picture Story Bible is nice as well. I like the art better but the theology less (not to say that it's bad, but the strands pulled together in JSB is so well done)

 

Catherine Vos' The Child's Story Bible is excellent. We've been using it during family devotions (my husband reads) and all are enjoying it. It is more detailed than the above, but less and with more explanation than a Bible. You can find editions with no pictures of Jesus too ... wish I had. Even in our edition there are very few pictures, it is mostly text.

 

The Mighty Acts of God is new, we own but haven't read it yet, it looks really really good. Starr Meade put it together, her books include Training Hearts, Teaching Minds and other well-thought of devotions for children and teens. This one seems "in between" on pictures to text. Most pages have some illustration, but there is still plenty of text.

 

 

:iagree::iagree:

I like all of these. Also, there is a new ESV children's Bible called Seek and Find which looks very good.

We love the audio CDs of the Jesus Storybook Bible too!

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I'm thinking that it would depend on what your idea of "theologically accurate" is. :) A lot of these recommendations have a reformed slant, which I agree with...but many may not. During school time, I prefer a Bible storybook that sticks as closely to the stories as possible without added commentary. I've been very pleased with The Golden Bible. I did not like Vos' version because of all her added commentary; however, that is just a personal opinion.

Edited by Dawn E
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Thanks everyone!

 

What is the deal about the artwork? A couple of you mentioned it...also no pictures of Jesus...what is the reasoning there?

 

Also, a reformed slant is fine, or one that just is factual with no slant (however possible that may be.)

 

Do you mind sharing how the ones that have been mentioned treat the Noah story? Most that I have seen in person lean toward a

Everyone on Earth was bad, except Noah, so God saved Noah.

as a opposed to

Everyone on Earth was bad, including Noah, but God saved Noah because of His grace.

 

Thanks!

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I like art for children that they can aspire to, not draw on their own. Now, I'm not saying they could make the art in the JSB, but it looks like stylized children's drawings to me. (And there's a lot of orange, but I assume that's a personal dislike [grin]) I tend to prefer more realistic drawings than either of the Story Bibles I recommend have.

 

I don't remember what any of these say in particular, but I can look to see how they handle Noah if you'd like.

 

As for pictures of Jesus, we try to avoid them, if possible. We try not to fill our home with them in any case. We try to not fill our imaginations with pictures that aren't really Jesus so when we worship/meditate/contemplate we aren't distracted by our imagination. This is how our family puts WSC 51 into practice.

 

Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 51. What is forbidden in the second commandment?

A. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshiping of God by images,[128] or any other way not appointed in his Word.[129]

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I'm thinking that it would depend on what your idea of "theologically accurate" is. :) A lot of these recommendations have a reformed slant, which I agree with...but many may not. During school time, I prefer a Bible storybook that sticks as closely to the stories as possible without added commentary. I've been very pleased with The Golden Bible. I did not like Vos' version because of all her added commentary; however, that is just a personal opinion.

 

Just jumping in briefly with a quick question :). We have been using the TOG recommended Bible "The Children's Illustrated Bible" this year, which I originally liked (when I checked out the preview pages on Amazon) but for some reason now that we are using it I am not too thrilled with it (I'm not sure why). We have The Egermeir's Bible and I add that in for parts that I am not happy with with The Children's Illustrated Bible. We used the Egermeir's Bible last year however, so when I saw this thread thought I would check it out for ideas. Anyway, coming to my question, is this the Bible you are talking about Dawn?

 

The Golden Children's Bible

 

From ones I have seen in the past or own currently (besides the Egermeir's Bible which I love), this seems more like what I would be looking for right now. I was interested in the Vos Bible but excluded it for the commentary also. Anyway, I am rambling now :tongue_smilie:. Could you please let me know if this is the one you were talking about Dawn?

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Thanks everyone!

 

What is the deal about the artwork? A couple of you mentioned it...also no pictures of Jesus...what is the reasoning there?

 

Also, a reformed slant is fine, or one that just is factual with no slant (however possible that may be.)

 

Do you mind sharing how the ones that have been mentioned treat the Noah story? Most that I have seen in person lean toward a

Everyone on Earth was bad, except Noah, so God saved Noah.

as a opposed to

Everyone on Earth was bad, including Noah, but God saved Noah because of His grace.

 

Thanks!

 

For us, cartoon-like artwork is too much like fictional books. Higher quality artwork seems to promote the understanding that the Bible is true and different from the other stories we read. I do let my boys read from the Jesus Storybook Bible and Beginner's Bible but balance it out by having one with better illustrations for our official Bible time together. We do talk about the truth of the Bible and that these Bibles are children's versions of Mommy's Bible but I want to keep it from being too confusing for them.

 

Hmmm, I hadn't heard that the Vos Bible Storybook included commentary. I might have to rethink my plan. Although we're reformed, I would prefer something that simply retells Bible stories for children to understand. I felt that Egermeier's did a great job of that.

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Hmmm, I hadn't heard that the Vos Bible Storybook included commentary. I might have to rethink my plan. Although we're reformed, I would prefer something that simply retells Bible stories for children to understand. I felt that Egermeier's did a great job of that.

 

You can see some preview pages of the Vos Child's Story Bible on Amazon if you want to get an idea to decide how you feel about it :). I too prefer Bible's that simply tell the stories and I agree with you about Egermeir's.

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Just jumping in briefly with a quick question :). We have been using the TOG recommended Bible "The Children's Illustrated Bible" this year, which I originally liked (when I checked out the preview pages on Amazon) but for some reason now that we are using it I am not too thrilled with it (I'm not sure why). We have The Egermeir's Bible and I add that in for parts that I am not happy with with The Children's Illustrated Bible. We used the Egermeir's Bible last year however, so when I saw this thread thought I would check it out for ideas.

 

I have a copy of the Children's Illustrated Bible, except mine is the Jubilee edition which was much cheaper. We used it for a lesson or two, and found it was meant for an older crowd. I wouldn't use it for K or 1st.

 

I also have Egermeir's---actually two versions. I only noticed this as one is paperback and the other hardback. The hardback version (New and Revised Edition-1947) is much longer with beautiful illustrations, and the text is aimed at an older child. The paperback is written in simpler sentences for a younger child. I see these frequently at thrift shops, so be on the lookout if you're searching for a cheap copy.

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The Golden Children's Bible

 

From ones I have seen in the past or own currently (besides the Egermeir's Bible which I love), this seems more like what I would be looking for right now. I was interested in the Vos Bible but excluded it for the commentary also. Anyway, I am rambling now :tongue_smilie:. Could you please let me know if this is the one you were talking about Dawn?

 

I'm so sorry I'm only just now seeing this! This is the one we have. I must admit I didn't get very far in Vos, so I'm not sure how it is after the initial stories. There was a reference she made early on to something that was not necessarily untrue, but was obviously based on her opinion/interpretation. At that point I just decided I'd prefer to find something that simply retold the stories without adding any commentary/interpretation. That was years ago and I used the TG of MFW 1st grade coupled with the Bible Reader for dd instead. MFW also just provided a strict retelling of the story. I stayed away from the Golden Bible for a while...I think maybe because of the discussions I'd read about the golden-haired Jesus pictures :)...but I'm so glad that I gave it a chance. Not only does it stick closely to scripture, but it tries to capture the language of the KJV--again, we're not sticklers for this particular version, but the language is beautiful. We are using it with MP's Introduction to Classical Studies...I don't know if I would have even tried it otherwise, but, again, I'm so glad we did. I haven't read Egermeir's so I'm not certain how the two would compare. I hope this helps! Please feel free to pm me if you have any questions...I sometimes forget to check threads I've posted in.

Edited by Dawn E
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I had bought Vos for my children after reading good reviews about it, but when I read it, I didn't like the commentaries (didn't agree with some of them), so I sold it. I prefer a Bible storybook that is just the stories without any added commentary. I like The Golden Children's Bible.

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We use Egermeier's here and I am happy with it. Ds was 4 when we started using it and it was a little over his head, but I was tired of the kiddie bibles that skip so many important stories and have cartoonish pictures. Now at six, it is perfect for him. Egermeier's is very thorough and comprehensive. It covers almost every single story in the Bible. It does a great job of presenting some of the stickier stories in a way that a very young child can understand. In a lot of cases it also uses the same wording as the actual Bible. I have learned a lot reading it, myself. Books like Jeremiah can be rather hard to sift through, so reading the story of Jeremiah's life in this book helped me understand a lot more.

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Hmmm, I hadn't heard that the Vos Bible Storybook included commentary. I might have to rethink my plan. Although we're reformed, I would prefer something that simply retells Bible stories for children to understand. I felt that Egermeier's did a great job of that.

 

We are just shy of half-way through (when Absalom defied David and was killed). I'd say that so far, the first "Chapter" ... introductory to her Gen 1 chapter even ... is by far the worst when it comes to "commentary" most of it is clear explanations of what is going on in the text or drawing the children's minds to Christ or occasionally she'll bring in a Psalm that was written for that event. In general, though, if you skip Chapter 1 and edit your reading up through Noah (if it bothers), it is more talking to the children to help them understand as you probably would anyway.

 

That being said, I read the first part one day and was turned off too. A friend encouraged me to try and we have been greatly blessed and enjoyed the Bible once we got past that part.

 

We're Reformed, so that perspective is exactly what we were looking for and I don't know I would pick up on anything others might object to there. I've never read the Egermeiers (sp?) version. I do have the Golden Children's Bible from my childhood, but have never read it.

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My girls are 4 and nearly 3...So one for six year olds may be a little tough, but I don't think it would be too bad. I don't mind cartoony illustrations too much at this age. If it keeps them interested in the stories, then I think it is a good thing.

Edited by tntgoodwin
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My 7-year-old is driven mad by storybook Bibles that exclude many of the stories. So while I really enjoy the Jesus Storybook Bible, she NEEDS something very comprehensive, and really likes Vos. I agree about the commentary in the first couple of chapters though. I actually disagree on a few points, but I explain, edit, go to the scriptures on those. The rest of it is very good.

 

Even BETTER for historical/comprehensiveness (but not for language/style) is the Lion Day-by-Day Bible. She really likes that one! I want to get my hands on a copy of Egermeier's but we have quite a few story Bibles so it's hard to justify!

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My 7-year-old is driven mad by storybook Bibles that exclude many of the stories. So while I really enjoy the Jesus Storybook Bible, she NEEDS something very comprehensive, and really likes Vos. I agree about the commentary in the first couple of chapters though. I actually disagree on a few points, but I explain, edit, go to the scriptures on those. The rest of it is very good.

 

Even BETTER for historical/comprehensiveness (but not for language/style) is the Lion Day-by-Day Bible. She really likes that one! I want to get my hands on a copy of Egermeier's but we have quite a few story Bibles so it's hard to justify!

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We are just shy of half-way through (when Absalom defied David and was killed). I'd say that so far, the first "Chapter" ... introductory to her Gen 1 chapter even ... is by far the worst when it comes to "commentary" most of it is clear explanations of what is going on in the text or drawing the children's minds to Christ or occasionally she'll bring in a Psalm that was written for that event. In general, though, if you skip Chapter 1 and edit your reading up through Noah (if it bothers), it is more talking to the children to help them understand as you probably would anyway.

 

That being said, I read the first part one day and was turned off too. A friend encouraged me to try and we have been greatly blessed and enjoyed the Bible once we got past that part.

 

We're Reformed, so that perspective is exactly what we were looking for and I don't know I would pick up on anything others might object to there. I've never read the Egermeiers (sp?) version. I do have the Golden Children's Bible from my childhood, but have never read it.

 

Thanks for the review. I do think I'll still try it based on what you wrote and what I saw on Amazon. If I don't like it, we can just read Egermeier's again. I'll also be reading 101 Favorite Stories from the Bible for my then-5yo so my oldest will be listening to that too.

 

My girls are 4 and nearly 3...So one for six year olds may be a little tough, but I don't think it would be too bad. I don't mind cartoony illustrations too much at this age. If it keeps them interested in the stories, then I think it is a good thing.

 

In that case, The Jesus Storybook Bible would probably be great for you. It's really best for ages 3-5 IMHO. I'm using The Family-Time Bible with my 4yo right now (also read it to my 6yo at that age) and it is also appropriate for a 3yo. I love the artwork! The stories are short and there is a picture on each page but it includes more stories than typical preschool Bible storybooks.

 

'd definitely save something like Egermeier's for when they are at least 5 and 6. My 4yo listened attentively this year but my 6yo really got the message.

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I'm so sorry I'm only just now seeing this! This is the one we have. I must admit I didn't get very far in Vos, so I'm not sure how it is after the initial stories. There was a reference she made early on to something that was not necessarily untrue, but was obviously based on her opinion/interpretation. At that point I just decided I'd prefer to find something that simply retold the stories without adding any commentary/interpretation. That was years ago and I used the TG of MFW 1st grade coupled with the Bible Reader for dd instead. MFW also just provided a strict retelling of the story. I stayed away from the Golden Bible for a while...I think maybe because of the discussions I'd read about the golden-haired Jesus pictures :)...but I'm so glad that I gave it a chance. Not only does it stick closely to scripture, but it tries to capture the language of the KJV--again, we're not sticklers for this particular version, but the language is beautiful. We are using it with MP's Introduction to Classical Studies...I don't know if I would have even tried it otherwise, but, again, I'm so glad we did. I haven't read Egermeir's so I'm not certain how the two would compare. I hope this helps! Please feel free to pm me if you have any questions...I sometimes forget to check threads I've posted in.

 

I only posted about a couple of hours before you answered so I would have to say you answer much quicker than I do ;). Thank you for letting me know I can PM you though.

 

I was considering Vos because of the reviews I have seen here in the past but taking a peak at the preview pages and seeing that there's commentary I decided against it. I prefer Bibles that just retell the story, especially for the young and impressionable ages :tongue_smilie:.

 

I did see the two reviews but it was a non issue for me. Having lived for a few years in the Middle East I will tell you that there's blond and blue eyes there also, although not as often. Even the prophet Muhammad of the Islamic faith was said to have red hair and beard ;). Besides, I always tend to consider when something was published (that can make a difference) and we are not using the illustrations as icons anyway :). I just see them for what I feel they were intended for, as visual aides for the younger children. Adrian knows that none of the pictures really show what the people actually looked like since we don't know. We just see them as art. Anyway, I really like the looks of The Golden Children's Bible and will most likely go with that one :D. There are many preview pages on Amazon and although I do have other Bibles I tend to favor KJV so thank you for pointing that out.

 

The Egermeir's Bible is also a KJV based kids Bible and from the preview pages it is very similar to The Golden Children's Bible. That was one of the things I liked about it when you mentioned it and I looked it up. I am looking at having Adrian read The Egermeir's Bible on his own next year and since we used it last year with SL Core K, I was looking at using something different this year. Thank you for your input :).

Edited by Guest
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I have a copy of the Children's Illustrated Bible, except mine is the Jubilee edition which was much cheaper. We used it for a lesson or two, and found it was meant for an older crowd. I wouldn't use it for K or 1st.

 

I also have Egermeir's---actually two versions. I only noticed this as one is paperback and the other hardback. The hardback version (New and Revised Edition-1947) is much longer with beautiful illustrations, and the text is aimed at an older child. The paperback is written in simpler sentences for a younger child. I see these frequently at thrift shops, so be on the lookout if you're searching for a cheap copy.

 

Yep, I see your point about The Children's Illustrated Bible. This is the version we have and I liked the additional info in it when I preview it and it will be great for Adrian a couple of years down the road. It is just not working for me now so I agree with you that I don't think it is a good choice for 1st grade. It also does not cover certain parts that we are covering with TOG as much as I would like and this is the reason why I am going back and forth between that one and the Egermeir's Bible.

 

I did not know that there were two Egermeir versions. We got ours just over a year ago from Rainbow, but I don't see it now. It has beautiful full page illustrations every few pages and the text is great for Adrian (although he is an advanced reader), he could probably read it himself but I would rather save it for next year for him. Our front cover says 1969 by the way. I'd love to find the older edition. Hope I stumble on one at some point :). Thank you for letting me know.

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Speaking of editions, it looks like a new Egermeier's is due out next month. Looked on Amazon, and the new edition has a different cover than the one SL carries, and different from the 'classic' cover. I'm not sure what (if any) other changes there will be.

 

I'd love to know if the new one's page #'s will still co-ordinate with SL's Bible readings in Core K though!

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Speaking of editions, it looks like a new Egermeier's is due out next month. Looked on Amazon, and the new edition has a different cover than the one SL carries, and different from the 'classic' cover. I'm not sure what (if any) other changes there will be.

 

I'd love to know if the new one's page #'s will still co-ordinate with SL's Bible readings in Core K though!

 

My edition was different to SL's. For shipping purposes at the time I had purchased the IG and other materials exclusive to SL from SL and then the rest of the books from Rainbow. I just found the story and recorded the pages from my book in my schedule :). It wasn't too much work.

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Heh. Makes sense, glad to hear it's easy. Sometimes I really just over-think things and get perfectionistic!!

 

Actually, I don't know if there are any other changes but when I ordered ours I remember going back and forth with the sample pages between Amazon and Rainbow and not seeing any real changes. Just certain things (pics mostly I think) rearranged. I think the page numbers were pretty much the same also (one page off here or there). Keep in mind also that SL sometimes does not get around to changing pics, so you may in fact be getting the same as the one you are looking at on Amazon ;). SL is pretty good at updating versions when new editions come out.

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  • 2 months later...
I am looking for a good, theologically accurate children's Bible, or Bible storybook. It would need to be on a Pre-K to 1st grade type level...

One that has been suggested to me, and looks pretty good is

 

http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Storybook-Bible-Deluxe-Lloyd-Jones/dp/0310718783/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

 

Wondering if anyone else knew of any good ones?

 

This is the Bible we are getting our 3 year old this year for Easter. For us to read to him. I have been impressed with what I have heard -- and the deluxe version evidently comes with a CD! So when we can't read he can put the CD in and try to follow along himself.

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