4.83

5

May 25, 2010

My friend, Julie's review:

As a teacher, I have seen dozens of children's Bibles. I have never been impressed, really, preferring the real thing to the cheesy, cartoony pages of children's Bibles. Until now. Through one of my favorite singer/songwriters, I have come across The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I teared up when I read the first pages. And now, I have purposed to buy it for every child's birthday or baby shower that comes across my calendar. (Sorry to spoil the surprise My friend, Julie's review:

As a teacher, I have seen dozens of children's Bibles. I have never been impressed, really, preferring the real thing to the cheesy, cartoony pages of children's Bibles. Until now. Through one of my favorite singer/songwriters, I have come across The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I teared up when I read the first pages. And now, I have purposed to buy it for every child's birthday or baby shower that comes across my calendar. (Sorry to spoil the surprise for all of my friends out there awaiting gifts) I have read most of the book, and it's honest, clever, thoughtful, and definitely kid-friendly. Every story points to Jesus. "Every story whispers his name," the title truthfully claims. The Pharisees are referred to as Extra-Super-Holy-People. I mean, what kid wouldn't understand that? So this is just my little recommendation to you. Take it or leave it. But I hope you will take it. If I tag you in this note, it's because I think you are a good parent or you love kids. :) Here's an excerpt from the beginning of the book...

God wrote, "I love you"- he wrote it in the sky, and on the earth, and under the sea. He wrote his message everywhere! Because God created everything in his world to reflect him like a mirror- to show us what is is like, to help us know him, to make our hearts sing.

The way a kitten chases her tail. The way red poppies grow wild. The way a dolphin swims.

And God put it into words, too, and wrote it in a book called "the Bible."

Now, some people think the bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leave his palace, his throne- everything- to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this Story is- it's true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in the puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.

And this is no ordinary baby. This is the Child upon whom everything would depend. This is the Child who would one day - but wait. Our Story starts where all good stories start. Right at the very beginning...

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5

Oct 04, 2008

I love every aspect of this Bible. The illustrations by Jago are both charming and intriguing. There are about fifty stories, a good balance. The text itself is exactly what I want my children to hear, theologically. I love this line from the very first chapter. "The Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done." AMEN.

The subtitle is "Every Story Whispers His Name" and indeed, every story does. "No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of I love every aspect of this Bible. The illustrations by Jago are both charming and intriguing. There are about fifty stories, a good balance. The text itself is exactly what I want my children to hear, theologically. I love this line from the very first chapter. "The Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done." AMEN.

The subtitle is "Every Story Whispers His Name" and indeed, every story does. "No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story... You see, the best thing about this Story is -- it's true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them."

She goes on to say that the center of the story is a baby who is like the missing piece to a puzzle that makes all the other pieces fit together, and to reveal the beautiful picture. She stays true to this aim, pointing to Christ with every story, helping children to see the whispers of redemption through it all. If you buy just one Children's Story Bible, I'd commend this one to you.
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4

Nov 01, 2011

I am frequently dissatisfied with children’s Bibles, which may be why I acquire so many. I keep hoping the next one will compensate for the deficiencies of the last. I have one I chose because the vocabulary, for a change, wasn’t too dumbed down; one I chose because the pictures, for a change, were actually Semitic in appearance (no blonde, Anglo-Saxon Jesus in that one); one I chose because the stories weren’t overly sanitized; one I chose because it included more stories than most. This one, I am frequently dissatisfied with children’s Bibles, which may be why I acquire so many. I keep hoping the next one will compensate for the deficiencies of the last. I have one I chose because the vocabulary, for a change, wasn’t too dumbed down; one I chose because the pictures, for a change, were actually Semitic in appearance (no blonde, Anglo-Saxon Jesus in that one); one I chose because the stories weren’t overly sanitized; one I chose because it included more stories than most. This one, however, I didn’t choose. In fact, I have absolutely no idea how my children acquired it, but today my son brought it to me and asked me to read it.

He said he wanted the “Moses story,” so I started by turning to the table of contents to locate it, and I was instantly cynical. With chapter titles like “The present,” “The girl no one wanted,” “God to the resuce!” and “The teeny, weenie…true king,” I knew it would not only be difficult to locate the stories I wanted but also suspected the text would be so dumbed down and sanitized as to make me want to gag myself with two fingers. I flipped a few pages back to see who the publisher was…Zonderkidz. Zondervan, you see. For kids, you see. With a z, no less. How cute. Let me just say this discovery did nothing to abate, and quite a bit to increase, my cynicism.

But then I started reading…and the greater part of my cynicism slowly faded. The stories are certainly child friendly. They certainly try to make the tales “entertaining,” so to speak. They certainly have a non-droll style. But the overall quality of the writing was much better than I anticipated. The style was actually somewhat effective, despite being non-serious. The pages were enjoyable to read aloud. The “sound” of the stories rolled off my tongue. I especially appreciated the way the storytelling pointed backward and forward to the major themes that course throughout the Bible, linking past, present, and future stories, and, as a Christian, I appreciated the way it pointed everything to Jesus without being too terribly clichéd or contrived about it. There's a strong sense of God's grace coursing throughout the storytelling, an idea that these stories, even the most violent of them, point to a gentler, beautiful, and loving truth. It does this, too, I think, without seeming pollyanish, without turning God into a teddy bear.

Of course, I’m basing this entire opinion exclusively on the three “Moses stories” I read my son tonight. My opinion could very well change as I read more. But it was nice to put the breaks on my jaded, gut reaction and to find quite a few things to appreciate about this Bible. Or maybe I’m just uncharacteristically impressed because I didn’t have anyone to share my bottle of mulled wine with on this chilly November night.

But if I can revert to my usual cynical self for a moment, based on what I've read, there are too many chunks of the story left out. The chunks are left out because the author is busy making a point, a worthy point, but I wonder if that point could have been made without, for instance, boiling down the ten commandments to, say, four. Now, if you wanted to boil them down to TWO, the two Jesus (and the prophets) specified (love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and your neighbor as yourself), okay, but why four? I think that sort of thing is going to annoy me after awhile. But for now, I leave my rating at four stars.

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ADDITION: Today we read from page one through the end of the Noah story. The cutesy language does get on my nerves a bit, but, overall, I’m finding it still fairly well (rhythmically, descriptively) written. It’s as much commentary as story, but I happen to agree with a great deal of the commentary, and I like its perspective that the Bible is not a book of rules or a catalog of heroes to emulate, but rather a grand story of God’s love for his creation; not so much a story of what we should do, but a story of what God has *done.* This is a perspective I want my children to have. It might be a little heavy handed and overplayed in parts, but I’m still impressed by the uniqueness of the presentation.

That said, I defy anyone to attempt to read a children’s Bible to my daughter. Here’s how it went down tonight - - Me (reading the text of the Noah story): “Why would anyone need an umbrella, let alone an ark?” Her: They didn’t have umbrellas back then. They weren’t invented yet. They didn’t have lacquer. The Japanese invented lacquer. [Later] Me (reading): “Noah sent his dove out to explore, and it wasn’t long before she brought him back a fresh olive leaf.” Her: No, he sent a raven out first. Actually, it went dove, raven, then dove. [Later] Me (reading): “God said, ‘I won’t ever destroy the world again.’” Her: No, only by FLOOD. He didn’t say he wouldn’t destroy it another way. Like by flames or fire. Or ice.

I guess my daughter has the same problem with children’s Bibles I do.
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2

Sep 30, 2013

The more I read this the more I don't like it. I think it would be better labeled the Jesus storybook, because this is not the bible. In fact it is so added too and taken from its far from the bible. Just to mention a few theological discrepancies in the very beginning God says " hello stars" it does not say he spoke them into existence. then you have Eve believing that God does not love her, that's not what the bible says at all. To go on the story of Rachel and Leah frustrates me to no end. The more I read this the more I don't like it. I think it would be better labeled the Jesus storybook, because this is not the bible. In fact it is so added too and taken from its far from the bible. Just to mention a few theological discrepancies in the very beginning God says " hello stars" it does not say he spoke them into existence. then you have Eve believing that God does not love her, that's not what the bible says at all. To go on the story of Rachel and Leah frustrates me to no end. Rachel is popular and stuck up, and Leah is a victim. Then one day Laban had a sudden idea, Jacob has been working for me all this time, I should let him marry one of my daughters. The bible tells us Jacob loved Rachel right away and was working to win her marriage. It was Jacobs idea from the beginning. Then there is the Passover, it might not seem like a big deal to change simple wording, but in this place I believe it is a very, very big deal. In the jsb Jesus says this bread is "like" my body and this wine is "like" my blood. Jesus true words are this is my body and this is my blood, big difference. Another problem I have are the assumptions it describes. Like when God changes his mind about Isaacs sacrifice, it says " great sobs shook the old mans whole body. Scalding tears filled his eyes. And for a long time they stayed like that, in each others arms, the boy and his dad." I feel if this was called the Jesus storybook things would be different, but it's claiming to be a bible and adding to the word of God. Some of these things may seem small, but from a young age I am telling my children over and over again that the bible is Gods words. What would it then look like when they ask why these other things are not in the bible. I do find this book very moving by its wording and believe it has some great stories for kids, but when it comes to reading them the bible and telling them it's the absolute word of God, I will stick to the real thing. ...more

4

Dec 18, 2012

Sally Lloyd-Jones wrote another children's book that positively depicts a same-sex couple; see here and here. Her children's book How To Get Married is also a little fishy.

Part of the reason for the four-star rating is a section towards the end that sounds a little antinomian: No rules (or just a few)! Just grace! Which doesn't make sense, because grace includes law. I'm sure the author's intent was not to spread antinomian views, but that section could have been worded better.

1

Jan 10, 2013

Notes:
yes, every story does whisper His name, but not like this book
this is not a bible at all, just a poorly written storybook
embellished inaccurate stories are ridiculous
omits real truth for a watered down, feel-good gospel
implies that our hearts are full of question marks instead of sin
wrong in every possible way, will never read this to my children

5

Nov 11, 2012

Phenomenal. It's really astonishing how good this is. Recently, we started reading straight through it, one story a night, with our son who will be five at the end of November 2012. His questions and understanding of our covenant faith have matured a lot during this family time. He wants to start it over from the beginning. I can't recommend this highly enough for parents of small children, and even for new Christians. I've benefited greatly from it myself, and I've been a Christian my whole Phenomenal. It's really astonishing how good this is. Recently, we started reading straight through it, one story a night, with our son who will be five at the end of November 2012. His questions and understanding of our covenant faith have matured a lot during this family time. He wants to start it over from the beginning. I can't recommend this highly enough for parents of small children, and even for new Christians. I've benefited greatly from it myself, and I've been a Christian my whole life. Get this book. ...more

5

Dec 11, 2017

Winston and I enjoyed reading this over the last year. I love how The Jesus Storybook Bible brings every chapter back to God's never stopping, never giving up, unbreakable, always and forever love. The book says ages 4 and up. Even though my 2 year old didn't understand every story, he did understand who Jesus was in each story and that Jesus loved him. We finished every chapter with singing Jesus Loves Me.

5

Mar 15, 2015

This is a truly lovely children's Bible that does SO many things right.

The best thing it does is trace the story of Jesus through the whole Bible--it shows how every story points to the Ultimate Story in a way that is very graspable.

The illustrations are SO well done--it's so relieving to see diversity in color of skin and body type. It isn't a Bible full of Middle Eastern inexplicable white people like the children's Bible I grew up with.

I am not what you would call this Bible's typical This is a truly lovely children's Bible that does SO many things right.

The best thing it does is trace the story of Jesus through the whole Bible--it shows how every story points to the Ultimate Story in a way that is very graspable.

The illustrations are SO well done--it's so relieving to see diversity in color of skin and body type. It isn't a Bible full of Middle Eastern inexplicable white people like the children's Bible I grew up with.

I am not what you would call this Bible's typical audience (no babies) but I really enjoyed my time reading this work just as, like, a person. Anyone can learn something from this work from any walk of life. ...more

4

Jan 14, 2013

The more I read and understand the Bible, the more I find it difficult to teach certain stories to kids and feel that I'm being honest to the meaning. Think of the stories that we teach in Sunday School:

1. the garden of eden (nudity, disobedience, stealing)
2. Noah's ark (death and distruction on an epic scale with a smiling family sailing atop bloated corpses)
3. Joshua and the Battle of Jericho (prostitution, warfare)
4. David and Goliath ("its ok to hit bad people as long as God tells you The more I read and understand the Bible, the more I find it difficult to teach certain stories to kids and feel that I'm being honest to the meaning. Think of the stories that we teach in Sunday School:

1. the garden of eden (nudity, disobedience, stealing)
2. Noah's ark (death and distruction on an epic scale with a smiling family sailing atop bloated corpses)
3. Joshua and the Battle of Jericho (prostitution, warfare)
4. David and Goliath ("its ok to hit bad people as long as God tells you too...")
etc, etc.

You get the picture. Many Children's Bibles have sanitized them so that they have to make up morals or lessons to impose on the story. "When you are afraid, little Billy, be brave like David was..."

What I love about this Bible is that it tries to uncover the underlying theology in each story and tie it back to Jesus. I Don't agree with all the choices but it ties together the grand narrative of Scripture in a way few if any children's Bibles do. Excellent. ...more

5

May 29, 2008

The strength of this book is two fold. One, every story ends with a reference to Jesus, showing how He illustrates a truth, fulfills a prophecy, exemplifies a character trait, etc. Secondly, the illustrations are truly unique and not "westernized." Jesus really has an olive complexion as his Jewish roots would indicate. People and angels come in various colors.

This book is part of our regular Bible rotation, and we have given it as gifts for Christmas, Birthday and baby showers. Advertisements The strength of this book is two fold. One, every story ends with a reference to Jesus, showing how He illustrates a truth, fulfills a prophecy, exemplifies a character trait, etc. Secondly, the illustrations are truly unique and not "westernized." Jesus really has an olive complexion as his Jewish roots would indicate. People and angels come in various colors.

This book is part of our regular Bible rotation, and we have given it as gifts for Christmas, Birthday and baby showers. Advertisements list the age as 4-8, but we started at 2. In moments of impatience associated with this young age, we would skip some, just reading the highlights. Now that he is school age, he is almost ready for another trip through where he will do the reading! The pictures are engaging and this book is often chosen to sit with, even before he could read. Highly recommended! Enjoy!

Also highly recommended:

Read-Aloud Bible Stories, Lindvall, 1982
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jesus Loves Me, Anderson, 1988
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more

5

Dec 27, 2012

The Jesus Storybook Bible by author Sally Lloyd-Jones is a Bible book for children in which every story points to Christ. The Collector’s Edition includes the book plus three audio CDs of narration and a DVD of animated stories. There is also an Italian Duo-Tone leather edition of The Jesus Storybook Bible that is beautiful and would be perfect for a gift.

My husband and I absolutely loved the first book that we read by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Song of the Stars, so we were excited to read this The Jesus Storybook Bible by author Sally Lloyd-Jones is a Bible book for children in which every story points to Christ. The Collector’s Edition includes the book plus three audio CDs of narration and a DVD of animated stories. There is also an Italian Duo-Tone leather edition of The Jesus Storybook Bible that is beautiful and would be perfect for a gift.

My husband and I absolutely loved the first book that we read by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Song of the Stars, so we were excited to read this storybook Bible. I had also had many recommendations from friends who told me how much they liked the first edition of this Bible storybook.

So as soon as we received this book, we started reading a story every night to our three-year-old daughter. From the beginning, we were pleased. Everything in the Bible points to Christ as our Savior, and that is exactly what this Bible storybook does. It makes you think so much more about some of the Old Testament accounts because of how clearly each story shows how Christ has been there from the beginning and will continue to be there through the end.

Read my complete review here - http://shoopettesbookreviews.blogspot... ...more

5

Sep 23, 2016

This children's bible story is unique because it doesn't just retell the stories of the bible, but also links them to the greater gospel story. This helps primary school aged children understand how God's plan of redemption unfolds from the Old Testament stories to the New, putting it all into context. The bright quirky illustrations complement the text and the conversational story-telling style make this a fun and engaging read.

5

Dec 13, 2008

Delightful pictures invite young children to sit still and listen to these retellings of Bible stories. There are multiple pages (and therefore multiple full-bleed illustrations) for each story. Characters are shown as dusky-skinned Middle Easterners, not Northern Europeans. The tone of the telling, like the whimsical illustrations, is aimed at young children maybe ages four to seven, making it less suitable than Lions Day-by-Day Bible for older children or adults working on English reading Delightful pictures invite young children to sit still and listen to these retellings of Bible stories. There are multiple pages (and therefore multiple full-bleed illustrations) for each story. Characters are shown as dusky-skinned Middle Easterners, not Northern Europeans. The tone of the telling, like the whimsical illustrations, is aimed at young children maybe ages four to seven, making it less suitable than Lions Day-by-Day Bible for older children or adults working on English reading skills.

What makes this collection unique is that each story points to Jesus, showing how Biblical history is redemption history. For instance, the story of the tower of Babel, begun so the people could reach heaven, ends: People could never reach up to Heaven, so Heaven would have to come down to them. And one day, it would. (p.54)

Such a specific lens means that some well-known stories, such as Jacob stealing the birthright from Esau and deceiving his father, Isaac, are passed over. Jacob's love for Rachel is seen only from the eyes of Leah, the mother of Judah, ancestor of Christ. The emphasis is on God's love for the unlovely. It is beautifully told, but you will not want this to be your child's only Bible storybook.

Sometimes the metaphors and symbolism of the connection to Jesus and God's "Great Rescue Plan" will be challenging for young minds. The Christmas story compares the baby sleeping in his mother's arms to "that bright star shining in the sky that night. A Light to light up the whole world. Chasing away darkness. Helping people to see. And the darker the night got, the brighter the star would shine." (p. 190) I'm not sure that's all bad. Even if the exact meaning is missed, a child can catch the awe and wonder of the words.

The concluding stories about Christ's passion, resurrection, and return to heaven truly feel like the climax of the whole book. Most of the New Testament is jumped over except for the calling of Paul and John's final vision of Christ. The coming of the New Jerusalem feels like the most wonderful happily-ever-after any story could have.
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5

Feb 05, 2019

Audrey's aunt gave her this Bible saying that it was the clearest, easiest telling of the gospel. And it totally is. The story of grace is woven through every biblical event and the pictures are beautiful as well. Finished for now but ready to read to my girl over and over again.

5

Mar 20, 2019

Just finished reading this Bible to my 6 month old. He obviously doesn't understand anything yet, but we're starting over tomorrow!

Great resource, it moved me to tears a few times. I'm so happy to have this for my boy and for myself.

4

Oct 18, 2012

We've read this two times now! I love it. The only TEENY thing that I don't like sometimes is the idea that God's going to make us happy. That word choice is irritating to me for some reason. There is a huge difference between having the joy of the Lord (no matter if our circumstances are dark and horrible) and being happy. The idea of God's love permeating everything is beautiful and this is a favorite with us!

2

Jul 20, 2013

The illustrations are great in this book, and I appreciate the Christocentric intent. Unfortunately, the theological paradigm (basically the Tim Keller outlook) is a bit too artificially imposed upon the actual biblical text, especially in the Old Testament, and the author takes a great deal of liberty in paraphrasing the text, often changing the meaning and implications in significant ways. For children who are forming their knowledge of the Bible for the first time, I don't think this is great The illustrations are great in this book, and I appreciate the Christocentric intent. Unfortunately, the theological paradigm (basically the Tim Keller outlook) is a bit too artificially imposed upon the actual biblical text, especially in the Old Testament, and the author takes a great deal of liberty in paraphrasing the text, often changing the meaning and implications in significant ways. For children who are forming their knowledge of the Bible for the first time, I don't think this is great idea. ...more

4

Dec 12, 2015

For the last three years my wife and I have read this book with our daughter (and now son) during Advent. It works out quite well as the total Old Testament chapters plus the three about Jesus' birth total 24. So, and this should be obvious, you get one for each day of Advent! This is the first year that we are managing to keep it going and to read the second half of the book, the stories of Jesus. I give credit to my daughter, for she wants to keep reading!

Like any children's bible, there are For the last three years my wife and I have read this book with our daughter (and now son) during Advent. It works out quite well as the total Old Testament chapters plus the three about Jesus' birth total 24. So, and this should be obvious, you get one for each day of Advent! This is the first year that we are managing to keep it going and to read the second half of the book, the stories of Jesus. I give credit to my daughter, for she wants to keep reading!

Like any children's bible, there are certainly things here that any adult with a halfway decent Christian theological understanding could be picky about. For some it might come across too "liberal" and for others, too "conservative". That said, in general I think most readers would find this to be one of the best, if not the best, bible for children out there. ...more

5

Apr 01, 2013

I love this book for one main reason: it shows how every story points to Jesus.

This storybook is desperately needed in a Christian culture that has watered down the Bible to a book of morality and life lessons for children. This book shows that the Bible is not about them (and that is good news!) - it is about Jesus and how he is rescuing the world and making everything "sad come untrue." That's really all you need to know in order to purchase and read this book to your children: it points to I love this book for one main reason: it shows how every story points to Jesus.

This storybook is desperately needed in a Christian culture that has watered down the Bible to a book of morality and life lessons for children. This book shows that the Bible is not about them (and that is good news!) - it is about Jesus and how he is rescuing the world and making everything "sad come untrue." That's really all you need to know in order to purchase and read this book to your children: it points to Christ in every story, without exception.

That said, Sally Lloyd-Jones is a great story-teller. She uses language that captures beautifully the stories in the Bible. In fact, the way she tells the stories will often challenge parents as well as the children. Also, the illustrations are wonderful.

Highly recommended! ...more

4

Sep 14, 2009

In the overwhelming abundance of Children's Bibles, The Jesus Storybook Bible stands out in its Christ-centeredness and above-average writing. As Mark Tubbs says in his detailed review at Discerning Reader, "Every story does indeed whisper the person and work of Jesus Christ. The message of man’s sinfulness, his inability to obey, and God’s enduring grace bleeds through every page."

In Lloyd-Jones' attempts to contextualize the stories for young children she does take some liberties, but these In the overwhelming abundance of Children's Bibles, The Jesus Storybook Bible stands out in its Christ-centeredness and above-average writing. As Mark Tubbs says in his detailed review at Discerning Reader, "Every story does indeed whisper the person and work of Jesus Christ. The message of man’s sinfulness, his inability to obey, and God’s enduring grace bleeds through every page."

In Lloyd-Jones' attempts to contextualize the stories for young children she does take some liberties, but these usually don't go too far. For example, when the hungry 5000 are preparing to be fed, the disciples realize that "they couldn't go and buy themselves a burger and fries to go because, of course, they were in the middle of nowhere with no shops or restaurants. (Besides, that kind of food wasn't invented yet)".

Overall the story selection is good, the presentation is interesting and faithful to the original Scripture, and the illustrations are cheery, if not artistically amazing. Each chapter carefully and wonderfully makes explicit how it points toward Jesus' work on our behalf. This is well worth reading with children in preparation for their experience of the real Scripture. ...more

5

Jun 20, 2012

I just finished reading the Jesus Storybook Bible to my newborn son. We took a chapter-a-day and it took right around 8 weeks to finish it. There are a few reasons I love this paraphrase of the Bible for kids and will revisit it with my own children over and over:
1. It is Christ-centered and points to him in every single chapter of the book. From Genesis to Revelation, he and God's plan of redemption for the lost are central to every story. This places the emphasis on God restoring right I just finished reading the Jesus Storybook Bible to my newborn son. We took a chapter-a-day and it took right around 8 weeks to finish it. There are a few reasons I love this paraphrase of the Bible for kids and will revisit it with my own children over and over:
1. It is Christ-centered and points to him in every single chapter of the book. From Genesis to Revelation, he and God's plan of redemption for the lost are central to every story. This places the emphasis on God restoring right relationship with His people rather than on the oft-used "try to be more like this character in the Bible" avenue.
2. The illustrations are beautiful, interesting, and eye-catching. At around 1 month old, the colorful pages began to draw his attention to the book, which is amazing considering he could focus on very few things at such a young age. For kids, these pictures truly accompany and enhance each story.
3. The length: While I would have loved to see even more stories from Scripture, the length of each chapter was perfect, taking 5-10 minutes to read aloud. This was perfect for morning or evening devotionals, even when time was short.
4. The vocabulary: This book chooses words that are easy for children to understand, like Leader instead of Pharisee, so that a child can begin to develop a clear grasp of the Bible for an early age.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! ...more

5

Jun 19, 2011

A couple months ago, my wife and I bought the Jesus Storybook Bible to read to our son (18 months old). While it’s probably still a little beyond his current comprehension, it sure is a lot of fun! I’ll really enjoy watching him and our future children grow into it.

What makes this particular children’s Bible so much better than any other I’ve seen is the fact that it combines kid-friendly illustrations and language with faithfulness to the Biblical metanarrative. In other words, it avoids the A couple months ago, my wife and I bought the Jesus Storybook Bible to read to our son (18 months old). While it’s probably still a little beyond his current comprehension, it sure is a lot of fun! I’ll really enjoy watching him and our future children grow into it.

What makes this particular children’s Bible so much better than any other I’ve seen is the fact that it combines kid-friendly illustrations and language with faithfulness to the Biblical metanarrative. In other words, it avoids the problem of most kids’ Bibles, which often present Bible stories as merely stories, with nothing to differentiate them from any collection of illustrated fairy-tales.

The Jesus Storybook Bible breaks the Bible down into 44 short stories, but underneath them all is THE story of the Bible: God’s redemption of the world through his Son, Jesus. When we read the Bible, we should see and understand that it’s ALL about Jesus. This story Bible does a wonderful job of showing exactly how every Bible “story” is really about Jesus. It points out how Jesus is foreshadowed in the Old Testament, and how in His life, death, and resurrection, all of God’s promises were fulfilled. For that reason, it’s really a great Bible for ALL Christians, not just those with young children.

The Deluxe Edition, which we bought, also includes CD’s of narration of all of these stories by David Suchet, who is one of the best story-tellers I’ve ever heard.

I couldn't recommend this Bible more highly! ...more

4

Apr 30, 2009

I’ve been working my way through The Jesus Storybook Bible with my children for several months. It only took a few of the short stories to make it one of their all time favorite Bible story books. The intended age range for this book is four to seven years old, but my children as young as three and as old as ten have enjoyed it as well.

The Jesus Storybook Bible is comprised of 21 stories from the Old Testament and 23 stories from the New Testament. What makes this book unique is the way each I’ve been working my way through The Jesus Storybook Bible with my children for several months. It only took a few of the short stories to make it one of their all time favorite Bible story books. The intended age range for this book is four to seven years old, but my children as young as three and as old as ten have enjoyed it as well.

The Jesus Storybook Bible is comprised of 21 stories from the Old Testament and 23 stories from the New Testament. What makes this book unique is the way each story from the both the Old & New Testaments clearly point back to Jesus as the central figure of the Biblical story. The illustrations throughout the book are colorful, exciting, and age appropriate. Parents and kids alike will appreciate Sally Lloyd-Jones excellent writing style. This is by far the best children’s Bible story book I’ve ever seen. It will be a great addition to any family’s library.




Sally Lloyd-Jones is a leading writer of inspirational books for children. She is the author of three bestselling Children’s bibles, including the Gold Medallion Award-winning Baby’s First bible. She has written many picture books for children, including Handbag Friends and Time to Say goodnight. A native of England, Sally lives in New York City.

Jago is an accomplished illustrator with several prestigious awards to his credit, including a Macmillian “Highly commended” Award for children’s Illustration in 2003, an AOI Silver Award in 2004, and the National Literacy Association Wow! Award. Jago lives in Cornwall, England, with his wife and daughter. ...more

3

Mar 12, 2013

The Jesus Storybook Bible was given to my 5 yr old as a gift when he won a contest at church. He loves it. He's 6 yrs old now, and his twin brothers are three, and I read a few of these stories each day until the whole book was done. I read to them everyday, but even the twins would say "I love the Jesus book!" when I asked them what they wanted me to read. It's a great beginner bible, with bright, colorful pictures that they all love. Some of the pictures also were depicted lengthwise on the The Jesus Storybook Bible was given to my 5 yr old as a gift when he won a contest at church. He loves it. He's 6 yrs old now, and his twin brothers are three, and I read a few of these stories each day until the whole book was done. I read to them everyday, but even the twins would say "I love the Jesus book!" when I asked them what they wanted me to read. It's a great beginner bible, with bright, colorful pictures that they all love. Some of the pictures also were depicted lengthwise on the pages, covering both pages so as to create a different visual effect for certain stories. They used some humor in difficult or touchy topics that made the book easy to read to the youngsters. I loved how they introduced all the basic stories in an easy to understand way, that made it fun for my kids to recite back to me when talking about things like "Jesus' birthday". I plan on reading this to them again in a year or two to cement the basic stories as they get into their older children's bible as well. A great addition to any children's library.

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