Okay, so I know everyone out there has already read The Jesus Storybook Bible. I’m woefully late to the party as this book has already been recommended on blogs near and far… but perhaps you’ll humor me and let me throw in my two cents as well!

A few months ago, we started reading through this Bible with the girls. In the past, we’ve done The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes and The One Year Children’s Bible, both of which are great books. The Jesus Storybook Bible gave us stories that were a little longer than the first but not as detailed as the second. Our girls were able to sit through the stories easily without losing attention, and the pictures and the consistency from story to story kept them entertained. Every story in the book concludes with a connection to Jesus, tying all of Scripture back to redemption through Christ.

If you have a problem with paraphrases (even in regards to sharing the Bible with young children), this is probably not the book for you. While it was clear that the author tried to stay true to the “big picture” of the Gospel, there were liberties taken with the actual text of Scripture that sometimes left me scratching my head. (In the account of the Fall, for example, the serpent says something just different enough from the Genesis account to subtly change the meaning.) But if you’re looking for a book that begins Biblical conversations with your toddlers and preschoolers, this is a GREAT book. Happy reading!