Our kids---two and four (almost five)--love bedtime Bible stories. We've got three kids Bibles we read through, but our family favorite is the Jesus Storybook Bible. Illustrated by Jago and written by Sally Lloyd Jones, it's a charming but serious Bible that our kids love to both read and flip through to look at pictures.
What we especially like about it is how Lloyd-Jones has managed to go through the Bible and teach kids (and adults) how the entire Bible points to Jesus. Many of us grew up hearing the Sunday School stories but never really understood what any of it had to do with the New Testament. We emerged with a disjointed understanding of the Bible as a whole, knowing an assortment of stories but not fully understanding what they all had to do with one another.
In the Jesus Storybook Bible, many key stories are told but rather than being a hodge-podge of unrelated stories, they are presented in a format that gives kids a 40,000 mile high big picture view of the main theme of the Bible---Jesus. This is a well-written resource for kids that is both enjoyable to read and theologically aligned with Scripture. Not only will kids learn something, but parents will too.
Now the Deluxe Edition is out, which includes the entire book on audio CD, ready by British actor David Suchet. Our kids have the minds of sponges and are constantly quoting jingles and storylines from other stories they hear. How we look forward to having this on CD for them to listen to and act out.
Got small kids? Introduce the Jesus Storybook Bible to the rotation for your bedtime or morning readings. It's time and money well spent.
