Holy Bible: Love Letters from God

The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) of the Bible sprang from the ever-popular NIV but with shorter words and sentences to make this, not a Bible storybook, but a simplified version of God’s Word. In the NIrV, for example, the opening verses of the Bible say:

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth didn’t have any shape. And it was empty. There was darkness over the surface of the waves.”

To make this particular edition even more child-friendly and personal, Zondervan included pages of Love Letters from God, written by Glenys Nellist, who obviously has a heart for children.

Since I’d previously read and appreciated Glenys’ work, I requested a complimentary copy of the Holy Bible: Love Letters from God from BookLook Bloggers, who kindly sent me a free copy to review.

To give you an idea of the “letters,” a page-insert referencing Genesis 1:31 says:

Your Love Letter from God
Genesis 1

Dear __________

Do you like making things? Have you ever made something you felt really proud of, something you thought was so good it made you smile? That’s how I felt when I made the world. I had so much fun! But do you know the very best thing I made? It was you! And everything I make is good. So remember this – I made you, and you are good. I love you.

Your Creator,
God

In the adjacent column, the page includes a section to “Write Back,” which encourages children to: “Write a letter to God telling him about something you made – a story, a painting, a science project, a building-block city… may even a tree house!” Immediately beneath that text, double-spaced lines have been provided for each child’s personal response.

In addition to 80 “letters,” the edition includes slick, colored page inserts on such topics as “The Ten Commandments,” written in child-speak, and “What Is…” definitions of sin, repentance, forgiveness, grace, and more. Another such page discusses “How to Pray.”

Younger readers might prefer a slightly larger font than this edition has, but all readers will see colored maps in the back matter, along with space for notes and a ribbon bookmark to show where the child has left off reading a Bible that clearly speaks to them and encourages them to keep on reading.

Bible Reviewer, Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2017

Holy Bible: Love Letters from God, hardcover






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The Rhyme Bible Storybook

Zonderkidz often sends me review copies of Bibles and Bible storybooks for children, but I saw The Rhyme Bible Storybook by L.J. Sattgast in a Christian bookstore and thought my young grandson would love it. He does!

On each slick page of this sturdily bound book, cheerful artwork by Laurence Cleyet-Merle enhances the lively stories while a large, roundy font encourages young readers to read to themselves, follow along, or take turns reading with a caretaker.

Happily, readers of all ages will enjoy the bouncy rhymes and appreciate the scriptural accuracy of the stories, which include true-to-human-nature examples to fill in the details. For example, “Safe In The Boat,” adapts Genesis 6-9 with these opening lines:

“God was very,
Very sad,
For all the people
Were so bad.
They would chat,
And they would lie.
They would make
Their sisters cry.”

As the story of Noah continues, the author takes into account how people most likely responded.

“So Noah’s family
Built the boat.
They made it strong
So it would float.
But all the people
Laughed and said,
‘They are loony
In the head!
Where’s the water?
Where’s the sea?
They’re as crazy
As can be’!”

Anyone who’s had someone laugh at them and not understand what’s going on will appreciate the emphasis on what Noah and other people of God have had to endure.

With expressions of faith, rebellion, repentance, and answered prayer, these stories also help us to see more clearly how we, too, are part of the ongoing story of God’s love for us, which is best shown in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For example, the last story, “Good News!” presents the account of Jesus’ resurrection as recorded in Luke 24 and Acts 1-2 when, in the upper room:

“Jesus’ friends were hiding.
Their hearts were filled with fear.
But suddenly they saw him –
Jesus had appeared!
Jesus said, ‘Don’t be afraid,
Touch me and you’ll see
That I am not a ghost at all –
Believe that it is me’!”

Thankfully, these well-presented stories of faith do help readers to believe.

Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2016

The Rhyme Bible Storybook, hardback

Big Dreams Big Prayers Bible For Kids, NIV

If you’ve been following these Bible reviews for a while, you know that ZonderKidz has kindly sent me review copies of several children’s editions of the Bible with a different emphasis for each. Now, in the Big Dreams Big Prayers Bible For Kids, NIV, the focus is on describing prayer and encouraging young readers to develop lifelong patterns of prayer.

For example, the first page, “What Is Prayer?” answers by saying, “Prayer is simply being in a conversation with God – talking and listening – so you can build a relationship with him and get to know his ways.” The page then encourages readers to notice these features:

Highlighted verses to memorize from the New International Version (NIV) text
Conversation with God devotions
Reading plans, offering three options
Prayer Journal with pages in the back of the book to record prayers and responses

Besides the emphasis on prayer, this children’s edition prefaces each book of the Bible with key questions regarding the Who, Why, What, When, and Where of each book. Those brief introductions also list key people in the adjacent chapters and some of the Bible stories to explore, such as “Noah builds an ark” in Genesis 6 and “Joseph becomes a ruler” in Genesis 39-41.

Young readers will also find pages of “Big dreams, Big prayers” interspersed throughout the book. For example, in Numbers a page insert highlights verse 12:13 with Moses’ prayer for his sister Miriam to be healed followed by a contemporary devotional.

Nice, thick, slick inserts can be found, too, with excellent information but, unfortunately, placed randomly, rather than beside the chapters to which they refer. For example, “10 commandments for kids” beautifully explains those important words from God, but the page is placed toward the end of Psalms, rather than in Exodus or Deuteronomy. On the flipside of that page, the Lord’s Prayer can be found, instead of in Matthew.

Despite that perplexing choice, the inserts speak to young readers about deep truths of Christianity in ways they can understand. For example, the insert “The ABCs of becoming a Christian,” shows:

Admit
Believe
Confess

Beneath each of those words, readers will find a clear explanation and relevant Bible verses to encourage them to consider what God has to say and then pray. May we do the same in Jesus’ Name.


©2016, Mary Harwell Sayler, reviewer, is a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the Church. .

Big Dreams Big Prayers Bible For Kids, NIV, hardback



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NIrV Study Bible for Kids

A year ago, I reviewed the NIrV Adventure Bible for Early Readers, published by Zonderkidz, who also sent me a review copy of this year’s release of the New International Reader’s Version for slightly older children, the NIrV Study Bible for Kids. Since the NIrV text has a third-grade reading level, this study Bible well-suits children 6-10.

Besides being young-reader-friendly, the edition includes study features appropriate to the age group. At the beginning of the book, for example, a two-page color layout defines the Bible, addresses “What is in the Bible?” and shows the division of “The Old Testament” and the New with categories listed beneath each. The facing page then illustrates that information with a bookcase and each book of the Bible grouped by:

Old Testament
Law
History
Poetry
Major Prophets
Minor Prophets

New Testament
Gospels
Church History
Letters
Prophecy

Seeing that bookcase helps children to realize that many books come together in one Bible. Most likely, the visual will also help children to understand and recall various categories and easily find out which book belongs where. For instance, “Church History” depicts the book of Acts.

As occurs in study Bibles for teens and adults, this children’s edition introduces each book with a quick word telling what to expect overall and in key chapters, such as Genesis 12 where “God gives Abraham a promise.”

Throughout the text, a “Brain Game” reinforces what’s been learned as children read and search the verses for themselves and/or as an adult asks the questions provided in those sections. Similarly, “Soak It up!” highlights key verses to memorize, while “Check It Out” gives children an idea of the culture.

On the page for Acts 10:9, for example, the “Check It Out” sidebar explains: “Houses had flat roofs. People slept on their roofs on hot nights. Some roofs had gardens. People grew fruit and spices on their roofs.”

In the back of the book, children will find even more information in the interesting article, “Life in New Testament Times.” Also, a dictionary and colorful maps will help children to understand more about Bible times and places as will slick, colorful page inserts with lively lists and visually appealing artwork. I wish the art consistently corresponded with the adjacent text. Nevertheless, the informative features throughout make this edition very recommended for young readers.

©2015, Mary Harwell Sayler


NIrV Study Bible for Kids, hardback



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Sweetest Story Bible for Toddlers

As a fan of Diane Stortz, I would recommend her work even if I hadn’t received a free review copy of The Sweetest Story Bible for Toddlers, published by Zonderkidz and kindly sent to me by BookLook Bloggers. Diane’s writing helps children to understand deep truths with minimal explanations on the part of parents, and she’s accurate and poetic too.

Artist Sheila Bailey also does a nice job, creating colorful kid-appealing illustrations, which help to expand the text with one exception. In the drawing of two angels announcing Christ's resurrection, both look, well, depressed, which made no sense to me as I suspect they were rather ecstatic.

Other reviews have already mentioned how this Bible storybook from Zonderkidz is ideal for little girls, and I agree but frankly would have preferred it to include little boys as the title does. But, since the emphasis is on little girls, I, too, wished the story of Esther had been omitted and substituted with one showing Ruth’s love for Naomi. For one thing, little kids can relate to a loving friendship more than bad law-making. Besides, I don’t think young children will have a clue about who a Jewish person is.

Giving this more thought, however, I realized that Bible stories for preschoolers seldom mention the Jews – the very people of God from whom we received the Hebrew Testament and from whom our Lord and Savior comes, which then made me glad about the decision to include Esther.

Whether we communicate bigotry or love, children learn early. So I’m now thinking that special editions of the Bible and storybooks for toddlers, preschoolers, early readers, teens, and beyond will do well to emphasize our Jewish heritage as Christians and as ongoing lovers of God’s Word.


©2014, Mary Harwell Sayler, poet, writer, and reviewer, is a lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church in all its parts.


The Sweetest Story Bible for Toddlers, padded hardback with board pages




I received my review copy from BookLook Bloggers



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NKJV Adventure Bible for children

The flyer that came with the copy of the Adventure Bible the publisher kindly sent me to review calls this “The #1 Bible For Kids,” and I can easily see why!

Zondervan published this particular edition of the NKJV (New King James Version) with 8 to 10-year-old's in mind, but the sturdy hardback cover, colorful illustrations, and kid-friendly features make this a keeper for children in almost every age group.

Written by Lawrence O. Richards, those features include:

• Life in Bible Times
• People in Bible Times
• Did You Know?
• Let’s Live it!
• Words to Treasure

Most of those special features are self-explanatory, but to give you an idea of what to expect in “Did You Know?” an example relating to Exodus 30:7 says, “Incense is similar to perfume, but it is a powder that is burned rather than a liquid that is put on a person’s body. Incense and perfume both smell sweet.”

As an example of “Let’s Live It!” one of these special sidebars appears with a list of the Ten Commandments, giving the meaning for each and also “How I obey it,” which translates each command into everyday acts that are doable. For instance, the fourth commandment to “Keep the Sabbath holy,” means “Rest and think about God,” with an example of “How I Obey It” given as “Pay attention in church.”

An example of “Let’s Live It!” in the New Testament discusses “How to Love Enemies” as mentioned in Luke 6:27-36, explaining “Love is not just a feeling. Christian love means caring about other people and doing nice things for them.” Suggestions then include “Smile. Be friendly. Pray for her. Help him with schoolwork. Say nice things about her. Choose her for your team.”

Other highly appropriate study aids for children include Bible verses in “Word to Treasure” – and maybe even memorize! Also, each book of the Bible has an introduction addressing such questions as:

Who wrote this book?
Why was this book written?
For whom was this book written?
What happens in this book?
When did this happen?

The “Where” of a book often matters, too, so the edition includes several pages of clear, colored maps as well as a concordance to help readers look up key words or topics in the back of the book.

Scattered throughout this edition, however, slick, sturdy page inserts carry along the adventure motif, colorfully illustrating that being a Christian is an ongoing adventure with the Bible as our companion and travel guide.


©2014, Mary Harwell Sayler, reviewer, is a lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church in all its parts. She highly recommends this excellent edition from Zondervan as an ideal gift for children at Christmas time and throughout the year.

NKJV Adventure Bible, hardback



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My Bedtime Story Bible

When my children were young, we sang through chores, memorized Bible verses I'd written on index cards, and ended each day with a story and a prayer. Today, kids often put themselves to bed without so much as a “night, night.” Things change! But as Christians we have the power to effect change for the good.

Establishing a bedtime routine with your children, grandchildren, or other kids in your care begins with a decision to, yes, just do it! However, the strength of that resolve comes from a belief in the importance of ending each day with snuggle time and a word of blessing. What an inheritance this can be to each new generation!

Since parents who did not grow up with such routines might not know where to begin, author Jean E. Syswerda briefly addresses this in the “Introduction” to My Bedtime Story Bible with suggestions for using the book and personalizing the stories. The Bible has many, many stories, of course, but the ones selected will introduce children to key Bible characters with whom they can relate.

But, how can children identify with Adam and Eve or Noah, Joseph, and Moses or other Bible people who lived in different times and places foreign to most of us? As we grow and mature spiritually, our belief in God provides that ongoing connection, but until we’re awakened to a life lived by faith, one thing we all have in common is the need for sleep!

And so, after telling the story of Adam and Eve with word pictures and language children can understand, the author ends with “Good night, Adam. Good night, Eve. Good night. Sleep tight,” followed by a “Tuck in” prayer-thought pertinent to that particular story and a child’s bedtime needs for pleasant thoughts and a restful night. The colorful artistry of Daniel Howarth brings each story to life too, showing young readers a broad view of the Bible from Genesis through the life of Christ and the early church.

As we’re reminded to “Thank God for a warm and soft bed to sleep in,” may God help us to remember to pray for other Christians around the world and pray, too, for the restoration of the church as one Body of Christ in Jesus’ Name. Oh, what a sweet dream that is!

© 2014, Mary Harwell Sayler, reviewer


My Bedtime Story Bible, hardcover




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Selecting Bible stories for toddlers

The Bible contains a wealth of stories for parents, grandparents, and church school teachers to read and discuss with very young children, so deciding which ones to include and which to omit can be a hard call, but then, a Bible lover and reviewer who’s agreed to give an honest review might have a hard time too!

In The Rhyme Bible Storybook For Toddler, I found much to recommend in the quality of this sturdy kid-sized book with its lively writing and colorful artwork. I also liked the evidence of God’s love and care as shown in the stories from Creation through Moses but found other choices either odd or inappropriate for toddlers.

For example, there’s no story of the beloved Patriarch of the Jews, Muslims, and Christians – Abraham, whose examples of faith foster faith and open lines of communication among religious peoples. So I was perplexed to see The Rhyme Bible Storybook For Toddler skip from Moses to David – but not David the shepherd with loving example of the Good Shepherd, nor David the poet and Psalmist, nor David the good king who united God’s people. Instead, the storybook chose to focus on David’s slinging a rock at Goliath and bringing down a bullying giant. Is that the message we want to give toddlers – to solve problems by throwing a rock?

Older children can understand the context of that story and also the story of Jonah, where the disobedient missionary gets swallowed by a large fish, but do we want toddlers fearing the ocean more than they naturally do?

Do we want them to have nightmares about being locked in a den of lions as Daniel was in this short book? Again, older children would find that story adventuresome and faith-building, but with so little space for age-appropriate stories for toddlers, I would much prefer telling very young children how Daniel chose to eat good food, rather than how lions might eat him!

Like all of my reviews, this one must be honest, so I have a couple of confessions to make: 1.) When I don’t feel comfortable giving books a 4 or, preferably 5-star review, I usually do not review them at all. However, this one came from BookSneeze, so I have to do an Amazon review too, which I’m sad to say will be 3 stars because of the stories selected. Obviously, I would have made other choices, which brings me to the second confession. 2.) I would love to write a Bible storybook, in rhyme or out.

I’m very happy to say, though, that this storybook ends with the point to which a wealth of Bible stories lead: Letting readers of all ages know, “Jesus Is Alive!”

©2014, Mary Sayler, poet, reviewer, lover of Christ, children, and the Bible



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101 Bible Stories: From Creation to Revelation

When I first approach the review copy of a new Bible storybook produced by any publisher, I look for several important features:

. Bible stories appropriate to the age group

. language children can comprehend

. pleasing artwork to illustrate the text

. sturdy quality to stand up to actual usage

In addition to the above, ZonderKidz provided a poetic text to retell the creation story in 101 Bible Stories: From Creation to Revelation. For example, “Let There Be Light” retells the story in Genesis 1:1-5 with these words:

“Long, long ago, God created the heavens and the earth. But the earth was blacker than black with darkness. And there was nothing but emptiness.”

Into this lonely place, “God said, ‘Let there be light!’ And there was light!” Then “God gently made the earth to spin so that there could also be darkness. He called the dark ‘night,’ and the light he called ‘day’.” And God “spun layer upon layer of fresh, clean air around the earth, wrapping it in every shade of blue.”

As layer upon layer of biblical insights reveal our Creator’s care, the stories progress from God’s encounters with Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and other character-building favorites to “An Angel’s Visit” where a young woman named Mary hears “God is happy with you.” Later, in “Joseph’s Dream,” the angel brings news that Joseph need not fear taking Mary as his wife, “For God has chosen her and blessed her to give birth to his very own Son.”

The remaining half of the book focuses on the life, teachings, parables, and healing work of Jesus to “The Darkest Hour” where “The earth grew deathly silent, and the sky remained hopelessly dark” as it had in the beginning of time until God spoke.

This time, however, Jesus speaks as He rises from the tomb to tell Thomas and all to “stop doubting and believe. After giving every follower “A Job to Do” in telling others the Good News, “Jesus Sends A Helper,” Who brings Holy Spirit power to do that work until Christ comes again.

With its use of slick quality paper, a sturdy binding, and colorful artwork by Dan Andreasen, this well-done Bible storybook lives up to its front cover label “Perfect for Independent Readers.” Nevertheless, we moms, dads, grandparents, and church school teachers will undoubtedly enjoy hearing again these 101 Bible stories with the children God has created to bless our lives.

©2014, Mary Sayler, reviewer

101 Bible Stories: From Creation to Revelation, hardback




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The Jesus Bible for children

An eye-appealing format and two-color sidebars that interact with young readers make this edition of the New International Version (NIV) a good choice for children 8 and up to read by themselves but also for teachers to use in small churches where Sunday School classes cover a range of ages or varying number of children. The color maps and thorough concordance will aid learning too. More exceptional though, The Jesus Bible from ZonderKidz includes an “Index of Hints of the Savior/ Jesus Revealed,” which marks the theme of this edition that highlights the many references to Christ throughout the Bible.

Other unique features include glossy insert pages that nicely highlight key concepts in the Christian faith. For example, “The ‘I Am’ Statements of Jesus” help young readers begin to see Christ as the Good Shepherd, Who guides them, and The Way, The Truth, and The Life to call upon in their own lives. However, I wish that important page had been placed in the Gospel of John, rather than the book of Daniel. Similarly, “Jesus in the Psalms” might be placed more effectively in the book of Psalms, rather than the OT book of Second Chronicles.

Hopefully, such publishing matters can be addressed in future editions and possible errors corrected, such as one found on page 28. In the sidebar to a story in Genesis 20, Abraham made the mistake of tricking King Abimelek, but the “Live Like Jesus” insert mistakenly says Moses did the trickery.

Therefore, in reviewing this review copy which Zondervan kindly sent, I’m a little concerned about the publisher's effort to do too much or hurry to publication, but I’m also greatly impressed by the earnest desire to find ways to reach people of all ages and backgrounds for Jesus Christ. That’s what the Gospel should do – must do to reach the ends of the earth as the Lord commands.

Clearly and correctly, this edition demonstrates we can and will “Discover Jesus in Every Book of the Bible.” Amen! Yes, for in every page of God's Word, Jesus Christ is there, and, as we read the Bible, Jesus is here. Wherever we are, Jesus Is God with us.

©2014, Mary Sayler, reviewer


The Jesus Bible, hardcover


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