I’ve seen a little lad in Sunday School exclaiming “Cool!” when he heard the story of the Feeding of the 5,000. Remember, the stories that we’ve grown up with were new to us once, and are new and exciting to the next generation too!
So let’s look at some children’s books that focus on some foundational Bible basics.
Adventures in the Gospels. This is a two-volume set that covers all four Gospels in a harmonious, chronological way. With features such as “Look Back”, “Check” and “What’s the Point” children are encouraged to ask questions and apply these scriptures to their own lives. The illustrations in these books are excellent (ISBNs 978 1 527 112 193; 978 1 527 112 209).
Mark’s Marvellous Book introduces the main stories of Mark’s Gospel. This is a good book for children who may think that they’ve heard the Bible story before. It goes into the Scripture through a modernday story that is imaginative and truthful. The quirky illustration style makes this something both adults and children will enjoy (ISBN 978 1 781 916 070).
The Topz series has a title on each of the four Gospels. The Topz gang from the Bible Notes series find out what it would be like to live in the Bible stories as they travel back in time (ISBNs 978 1 782 593 546; 978 1 782 593 553; 978 1 782 594 000; 978 1 782 594 017).
A current favourite of mine is Gemma Willis’ book Diary of a Disciple – Luke’s Story (ISBN 978 1 785 065 149). A great choice for a slightly older child. As is the book I Am – Stories from the Gospel of John (ISBN 978 1 914 966 828).
And then something that I’ve seen recently Illustrated is that the publishers of The International Children’s Bible have brought out an edition of The Gospel of John (ISBN 978 1 400 308 118).
The final one to recommend is an oldie. Thomas Neilson produced Revolve in the early 2000s, so it might be hard to get hold of now. But it gives you the New Testament in a magazine format. There are additional features, such as further study notes (ISBN 978 0 718 003 586). Although it might look a little dated it’s still a format that is less intimidating than a typical Bible study book. This uses the New Century Version of the Bible.
