Two Great, Gospel-centered, Children's Bibles

Recently a friend and occasional reader asked me for a suggestion of a Bible for young children. Instead of sharing my thoughts with only her I figured why not turn my recommendations into a post.  So here are my two favorite children's Bibles I have come across.

The Big Picture Story Bible

Written by David Helm

Illustrated by Gail

This Bible clearly points all things to Christ. Instead of isolating the biblical accounts as most children's Bibles do, Daniel and the Lions, Joseph and the coat of many colors, Jonah and the whale, etc., The Big Picture Story Bible provides more of an overview of the Bible skimming the stories of both the Old and New Testament and clearly focusing on God's love for His people throughout history.

The bold and catching illustrations along with the clearly written text presents a picture of God's big plan of love for His people despite their rebellion and the sacrifice that must be made to bridge the people's separation from God. The text on each page is minimal making this Bible great for young children. (I would say as young as one or two.) It can easily be read a few pages at a time although it is broken into a total of 26 parts, 11 parts devoted to the Old Testament and 15 parts covering the New Testament. The author does not go into great depth on any particular story but clearly presents Christ's kingship throughout Israel's history. God's promise to His people, Israel, is woven into each and every biblical account as a reminder of God's great plan from the very beginning. I love these last two elements the best! Even as an adult it is easy to lose sight of how God is orchestrating His plan of salvation through the Old Testament. Teaching this to our children while they are young will help them see everything through the light of God's perfect plan.

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name
Written by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Illustrated by Jago                                                       

This Story Bible spends more time on individual stories than David Helm's Story Bible, but still points to the bigger picture of Christ in each account. The author uses clever and fun word choices setting up each account with child friendly language and examples. Great comparisons fill the book helping to make the historical context real for children.

The accounts are cleverly names and accompanied by biblical references. Each part is 10 pages or less in length and is able to stand alone. The modern illustrations are colorful and draw the reader into the story. Unlike the Big Picture Story Bible this book has a decent amount of text on each page and focused on individual stories of both the Old and New Testament. Because of the longer text I would suggest this Story Bible for children starting around ages four or five. This book has even helped me to look deeper into the "stories" of the Old Testament in particular and see the foreshadowing of Christ! This book will help us teach our children to look for Christ in everything so that seeing Him becomes second nature! I am excited to engage in conversations as my daughter grows older and we seek to show her the love of the Savior. This book will be a great resource for doing so!

Both Story Bibles do a great job presenting Christ as the center of the story and referring to God's greatest gift of salvation within both the New and Old Testament. If you are interested in reading portions of the Jesus Storybook Bible you can visit http://www.jesusstorybookbible.com/ . This site has several excerpts presented in various medias.

Please feel free to ask any further questions you may have regaarding these books. I would recommend them both and feel that they work well together. Also if you have either of these resources I am eager to hear your feedback. What do you think of them? How do you use them to teach your children and convey the gospel message?

"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 he is like, to help us know him, to make our hears sing." ~The Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally Lloyd-Jones

"In the beginning everything and everyone knew how good God was.God gave Adam and Eve good words to obey. He told them not to eat from a special tree. You see, God was teaching Adam and Eve that he was their king, that people were to obey God's word. God also said that if Adam and Eve disobeyed his word they would surely die. So God's peole, Adam and Eve lived in God's place, the garden of Eden. They ruled God's world by obeying his good word. Do you know what happened next?"

~The Big Picture Story Bible, David Helm