Bibles Bible Studies Books

This is a readable translation of Hebrew scriptures. It is easily understood in distinction to the KJV, but without the English poetry. It is far more authorative than KJV. The paperback version (mine) is easily held and convenient to read.

As a Religious Studies major, I chose this text to get the "feel" of reading old scripture. I was not disappointed. It is a wonderful, beautifully written form of the Hebrew Bible. It will treasure for all time as part of my Biblical "library."

Let's get one thing out of the way. All Bible translations have a bias. The Bible: Authorized King James Version (Oxford World's Classics) was a protestant document through and through. While many claim to be easier to understand, most of them sacrifice ambiguity and humor in the interest of "clarity". The worst offenders change the Bible stories altogether.

This particular version of the Bible is Jewish. Note the name as Tanakh and not "Old Testament" since in Judaism there is no "New Testament". The stories are arranged by the title - Torah - Nevuvim - Khethovim - or Torah, Prophets and Wisdom literature (Job, Ruth, Song of Songs, etc.) One can quibble with this translation losing some of poetry (unlike The Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (The Schocken Bible, Volume 1) which strives to preserve the poetic verses and repetitive words so that English readers can get a true taste of the Torah as it sounds to a native Hebrew speaker) but this is a fine translation full of passion and storytelling.

Of course, my personal bias in favor of this translation began when I read it for class and fell in love with stories that I once thought of as only prologues to Christianity. Gone are the "proof texts" that litter many a Christian missionary reading. Isaiah is looking at a young woman and not a virgin about to give birth. Psalm 22 is talking about lions not the crucifixion of Jesus. But what makes this more interesting is how fun some of the stories are, particularly Samuel (the story of David) which is ultimately tragic but has some hilarious bits along the way including the Philistines being stricken with hemorrhoids in chapter 5 and making golden rat and hemorrhoid statues to honor the G-d of Israel. Most other translations wimp out and say that they died of "the plague". Sure, it's immature to look through a Bible for scatological humor, but if it's there, it's there. And it makes God Knows seem a lot less blasphemous in comparison.

In many ways, this is the redheaded step child of Bible translations. Artscroll has been cornering the market on translations and they like to use Rashi commentary in place of translation (which means a thoroughly awful castrated version of Song of Songs) and others prefer King James for poetry, but I still find this one to be my favorite. Maybe because of some of the weaknesses or maybe because in a field ripe with biases and agenda, this one tries to be non-biased as it can be.

I think this is a truly beautiful translation. I was also very happy with the quality of the book itself. Well worth every penny.

This has been a most welcome and very handy source for us whenever we seek English translations of Jewish sacred texts.

We also own the Stone edition of the Tanach: The Torah, Prophets, Writings, including all 24 books of the so-called "Old Testament," in Hebrew and English, with commentary. We also own The Torah: A Modern Commentary, which includes only Torah, better known as the Five Books of Moses, along with the readings' assignments to the Jewish holidays.

But this edition is by far the most used in our household, and we recommend it highly, to Jewish and Christian readers alike.

A fascinating read - very encouraging and challenging. Peterson is the author of The Message, a contemporary translation of God's Word which many have praised for its insight and depth. In this book, Peterson examines the way that Christians approach reading Scripture and basically says that most read God's Word incorrectly. According to the Book of Revelation, Peterson says that we are to eat God's Word, to digest it, to allow it to enter our very being. He claims that even the way that the Bible is written is as important as what is written in the Bible - again, that the comprehensive manner of Scripture lends itself to a comprehensive digestion of the whole, as opposed to reading bits and pieces or taking smaller chucks of the larger whole. Like a novel or a movie, the Bible is written in such a manner to communicate a story that taken in small bites as verses or chapters misses the forest for the trees. Peterson also says that Christians shouldn't just read Scripture, they should assimilate it into their very lives - God's truth should emanate forth from their lives, in their decisions, by their actions and countenance. As Christ has described Himself as the Bread of Life and has declared that men should not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from God - Peterson uses this concept to further reinforce his premise that Scripture is the very nutritional sustenance necessary for daily living. Without God's Word we are anemic and frail, with it we are energized and empowered.

Eat This Book is not an easy read - not as easy as Peterson's The Message translation. He dives into some deep issues in this book including the four elements of reading - lectio, meditation, oratio, and comtemplatio. The information is powerful and very challenging and I would suggest this book for any serious, or wanting-to-be-more serious, student of Scripture.

If you follow the advice and the reasoning in this book, I predict you will have an experience with the Bible similar to that described in the Road to Emmaus passage (Luke 24:13-32). That is, your hearts will burn within you as He opens up the Scriptures to you.

Eugene Peterson is a mighty man of God. I love his books because they are well-researched, beautifully written and leave a lasting impression.

If you want to get closer to God, Eugene Peterson can show you how!

I recommend Peterson to every seeker I meet.

Kristine M Smith, Author
DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories : My Life and Times With a Remarkable Gentleman Actor

Excellent way to delve into the Word! A great aid to understanding Scripture and applying it to one's life. Highly recommend!!

This was a great book. The vocab may have been a little heavy in some places, but it had such a solid message that is rarely talked about in such ways. This is Peterson's best by far. It was like reading the best sermon. I couldn't put it down. But, it was right up my alley. I love to tell scriptures in creative ways that are still wholly truthful. Peterson is a pro. I'm, evidently, still a beginner.

The Bible is well-made, and well bound. The study helps are comprehensive, and the best I've used. Background and historical information is helpful, and notes on translation variations are illuminating.Recommended for anyone wanting to study the Bible without a lot of extra books out at the same time. It doesn't completely eliminate the usefulness of a Bible dictionary or encyclopedia, but for the average reader who wants to get a full sense of the meanings of the texts without getting bogged down in other resources and commentaries, it's a great choice.

great study Bible, has information on each book at the beginning. lots of help on each page, loaded with maps.

This is the 3rd of these that I have purchased. I got one for myself, 2 for 2 of my daughters, and we are all very happy with them. The type is very easy to read, the intros and footnotes are informative and I find it to be very sturdy, as well, as it gets carried around quite a bit. The price is excellent for a Bible of this quality.

I've found the NIV to be the easiest translation to read, and at times quite poetic. But more importantly (for poetry I'll hit up the King James) it helps bring the Word to me. ANd the study Bible is a valuable tool.

I bought this edition of the NIV shortly after I was saved as it was the most recommended for new Christians. I absolutely agree to this day that it's the best for new believers or those who have never read the Bible but are interested. It's been 7 years since then and it's still a favorite to read which is why I highly recommend it for long time Christians as well. I don't think it right to relegate it as just a "beginners" Bible.

Like others, I do believe it best to have at least a couple different translations though. I use this one and New King James to cross refrence each other. I find that when you read a couple translations of the same passage, You get a deeper and fuller understanding of the intended message.

The NIV is a wonderful translation though as it's easy to read but not remedial. Nothing here is dumbed down for simplicity sake. There are wonderful explanations at the bottom of each page for most of the verses to further explain the intended meaning. There are also many historical facts regarding the people and places that are included. Each book has a thorough explanation of it's history, origin, author and intended purpose. Also included are detailed maps, definitions and index to subjects, offering further aid and understanding. Overall, a wonderful translation and companion of God's Word.

The Bible is the most unique book ever created as it's like no other book on the planet. It's not a book you can read and say, "I read the the Bible" and be done with it. You can read it 1000 times and get something different each time. It's not like a story where you know what's going to happen next and there are no suprises. To put it simply, it's DEEP. Like a gold mine that never stops yielding nuggets. You can never dig deep enough to empty it or reach the bottom.

For the believer, these words are truth and life. Without flaw or blemish. They are spiritual food and nourishment. They empower and sustain us. They promote growth, maturity and wisdom. God reveals Himself through these words. He gave them to us so that we may know Him, ourselves and the world we live in. It's a marvel as it's as relevant and applicable today as it was when it was written. Funny enough, when I was a teenager, I used to say, "why isn't there an instruction manual for life"? Well here it is.

I recommend this Bible for everyone as everyone is invited to taste and see that the Lord is good. The Bible doesn't condemn or persecute anyone. All people of all nations are invited to the Lord's table. He will turn away no one. There is no bias or malice within these pages. For those who don't know the Lord and those who have just recently been saved, I recommend reading the book of John first. It details just who Jesus really is. Unfortunately, not until your eyes are opened and you've come to belief and faith in Christ and have been born again, will these words truly come alive and speak to you.

This is the ultimate history book which reveals the beginnings of the man, the world, and everything in it. The answers to all of lifes questions are here. You will learn why things are the way they are in this world and what is to become of it. It has stood the test of time. The test of science and of all those who have set out to disprove it. Many who have done that have become believers because they only found evidence to support what's been written here.

Before I believed, I used to say," it's written by men, so how can it be trusted? Men are flawed so therfore it must be flawed too". That was my excuse to not read and not believe. I claimed to believe in God and aknowleged that He created everything but it wasn't enough for me to just believe that there was a God, a creator. So God used a Christian to counter my arguement. I was asked,"you believe that God created the universe and everything in it but don't believe God can create a book"? I could argue no longer. I opened up to God's Word and it spoke truth to my heart and spirit. It shined a light of hope inside me that made me hunger for more. It was the first pure hope I had ever felt. Not long after, I began to believe and saw that this was what I was looking for my whole life. I prayed and asked Jesus Christ into my heart and life. I confessed myself a sinner and asked forgiveness and then thanked Him for His sacrifice for me on the cross. That day I was saved and changed from dead to alive. I was given eyes to see and ears to hear all that I never did before. I was broken of all my chains of addiction and have enjoyed the true peace, hope, joy and love of Jesus Christ and God the Father. I know I will be in Heaven when I die and have no fear of getting older or dying anymore. I have a relationship with The Lord God who is always there for me and never fails. My life has changed forever. I need nothing but my Lord now.

You may ask, "what does this have to do with reviewing a Bible"? God used the Bible to draw me near to Him. To speak to my heart which was so cold and dark. To draw me out of the emptiness that was my life. I had never heard the truth before and I grew up going to Catholic church. I never learned or knew any of this. Many in life seek for these answers and comfort in many other ways, but none of them satisfy. God and His Word satisfies. It stays. We are all born with a God shaped hole in our hearts in which only God can fill it through Jesus Christ. People try to fill it with all the things of the world but they all fall short. They all fail. But the Lord never fails and the answers are here.

Richard Foster has provided us with yet another treasure. I found this book an encouraging guide to the reading of the Scriptures. Foster invites his readers to enter the world of the Bible and find a God who is intimately and personally involved with his creation. This God has invited us into relationship, and Foster directs his reader how they might be transformed by this relationship through the reading of the Bible. A common refrain in Foster's account is that God is continually found in the Scriptures as being with his people, yet God asks us, "Are you with me?" God is present with us. Foster challenges us to learn how to pay attention.

The book includes instruction on how to read the Bible with the heart, the mind, and within the context of the community. Foster, drawing from the work of Dallas Willard, wants to encourage his readers to take up the reading of the Bible in a way that one's character is transformed. He believes that the Bible, by God's grace, can help us to be disciplined people who "do the right thing at the right time for the right reason." Foster's final section instructs the reader on how they might be disciplined in relationships, discover freedom in Christ, and walk by God's grace.

This book is a good read with a number of examples drawn from Foster's experience and his extensive readings from classic devotional works. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to further refine their approach to reading the Bible.

The detail provided along with the maps helped me understand the significance of events and line of kings and rulers in Biblical times.

Very pleased with arrival time of book and the condition. I will not hesitate to use this seller again.

The book was as described, a nice book, but it is a heavy book and needed to be shipped in a box. It was shipped in a softly protected envelope giving the post office an opportunity to do damage to it, and they did.

I gave as a gift, and they seem to use it quite often for Bible study.

"Holman Bible Atlas" is an immensely readable book supplying first of all geographical, then rising from it historical, political, social, economic and, most of all, theological foundations to the context of the Bible. Whether a layperson seeking this grounding or a more serious theological student, the reader will find that context here.

This atlas was required reading in a Survey of the Old Testament course I took several years ago. Because an atlas is a book of maps, this book, of course, focuses on ancient topography, agriculture, migrations, and a changing history. All things together combine to tell "the story of God's redemptive work in human history" (2).

The story begins with a land layout of the general area of the Ancient Near East, then the lens closes in on the geographic regions of Palestine, then life in the region, including weather, climate, crops, and what archeology has provided.

Then the writer, Thomas Brisco, pulls his lens way back to focus on the earliest people of this geography, then refocuses closer to the time of the Patriarchs, and specifically Abraham and his descendants through Joseph and his passage into Egypt. An examination of Egypt: geography and the dynastic history as they pertain to God's work that follows.

This pattern, adhering to atlas and map disclosures, predominates through the Exodus, Resettlement, the Kingdoms and kings and judges, rise of powers and loss of powers--all geographically revealed.

How does one use a Bible atlas? You can read it straight through as I did and thoroughly enjoyed. Or you can use the Table of Contents or Index for locating specific topics you are interesting in pursuing. Let's say you are studying the walls of Jericho. The TC gives me pp. 77-78 for information on Joshua and the suspected location of Jericho. I find a picture of Tell es-Sultan, possibly the ruins of Jericho. I don't find the story itself because this is an historical atlas, not a history book.

On page 40 is a map locating the settlement of the twelve tribes of Israel and the Levitical cities. On page 100 is a map showing the possible flight of David from Saul, who was intent on killing David, his God-appointed successor. On page 118 is a map of the two kingdoms: Israel and Judah.
(A side note: According to some sources my name Judy derives from Judah.)

Often colorful, the maps are clear and easy to follow. The photographs enhance the written description. Sidebars provide interesting anecdotes. The flowing and well-written narration is situated amongst a variety of visuals. "Holman Bible Atlas" is an inviting, informative trek through the rocky hills and green valleys into the paths of the past of the Bible Lands. Your ticket is in the book.

I love this bible and highly recommend it. I have the leather bound bible and love the layout and format. In addition, it's very easy to read. The articles and notes are impressive. However, I would have to agree with some of the other reviews in that given the list of authors, contributors, scholars, etc., I expected the articles to be more in depth. Overall, a very good bible. I would also suggest the Archeological Study Bible for anyone seeking the truth.

An amazing collection of articles, facts and knowledge combined with the most accurate english translation of the Bible yet to have hit the bookshelfs. This study Bible can boost the faith of any believer, and provide valuable insights into the culture, language and theological enigmas of the Bible.

My only objection is that readers should be very careful to distinguish the biblical facts from the subjective theological opinions stated by the article writers. One writer claims for instance that babtism is not required to achieve salvation(!?!), basing this claim on very foggy passages by Paul, completely overlooking the compelling amount of passages stating the exact opposite - and thus taking away one star from my rating of this book.

I really like this book. It has lots of commentaries,lots of explanations of the biblical customs and is in general perfect for my studies. I use this in conjunction with the Biblical Illustrator, from Lifeway, to get the most out of my Bible studies. I liked this book so well, I bought another as a gift.

Very good tool for study. I am really enjoying it. I have shared it with my Sunday School class and some are going to buy one also.

My wife and I read this regularly and have enjoyed the detail commentary and the many apologetic articles contained throughout the book. A real blessing!!!

This is the second Lee Strobel book I have read. It is clear, as many people have pointed out, that even though Lee presents himself as a seeker who is earnestly trying to find the truth, this is a facade.

As a thinking Christian, I have been troubled by many of the issues Lee brings up in his books. I have yet found no simple answers. Yes, research has shown that Mithras was basically an A.D. Religion. But other mystery religions are not so easily dismissed.

The fact that Lee interviews one side, and declares them the winner, is disingenuous to me. A true investigative journalist would interview both sides, and then decide. It is even clear from his "thoughts", as he is interviewing people, that he already has decided the outcome.

One specific example that irritates me: Was Isaiah 7:14 a messianic prophecy? "A young woman(virgin) will conceive and bring forth a son...". Anyone who has studied the context of this prophesy knows that this was specifically intended for the IMMEDIATE future. Not for Jesus born 700 years later. There's no way around this(unless you believe in dual prophecy). Michael Brown responds to the challenge by saying "No one knows what this prophecy exactly meant". Yet Lee Strobel accepts this explanation!!!! HUH?!! How in the world could you accept this explanation, if you were truly undecided. The only way is, you already have your mind made up.

Bottom line is, you can be for or against something. But please be upfront, and don't pretend to undecided, when in fact, you are not.

This book is a very good ontological account about the reality of Christ.
It is very compelling and unbiased. He was out of prove Christianity a fallacy and ended up with a different verdict based upon his own scientific research.

After reading this book, I believe that Strobel accomplished what he set out to prove, first, that the Jesus of faith IS the Jesus of history and second,as he put it, "the emperors of radical scholarship have no clothes". When I first saw "The Case for the Real Jesus" in the bookstore, I have to admit that I thought that I may have heard most of the arguments since I've read quite a few books on Christian Apologetics. However, that changed for me after thumbing through the book and coming upon a discussion of Mithraism found in the 4th challenge. After finding that, I bought the book then and there because I had come upon that subject quite recently and had done some reading on it but not as much as I had wanted. I'll get to that in a minute.

I thought the discussion with Michael Brown was interesting. It gave me a lot of food for thought. I have to admit that I haven't seriously studied the messianic prophecies. After Brown argued that scripture points specifically to events 2000 years ago taking place and that it had to be Yeshua (Jesus) or no one, I'm really interested to go back now and give the Old Testament a serious study regarding that topic. In regard to the fact that messianic scripture exists, I had to ask myself why would writers throughout the centuries be writing about a Messiah the way they did if it there wasn't an expectation of a coming one?" You don't see this in any other kind of religious scripture which makes it unique to the Christian faith.

I'm still pondering on what Daniel B. Wallace had to say regarding scriptural infallibility and inerrancy. I may need to rethink these issues. Although I agree with Wallace that God spoke through different men with varying writing abilities, it doesn't seem to make sense to me, at least at this point, to say that the Bible can be trusted if it does contain incontrovertible errors, even one. Cannot the God of heaven make a revelation to mankind without incontrovertible errors? It would only make sense to. Wallace's reply leads me to wonder if he really does think that there are or could be a incontrovertible error(s) in the Bible. My question is: How many incontrovertible errors in the Bible do we have to have in order to come to the conclusion that God did not write it? As I said though, still thinking on this one.


The discussion with Yamauchi on Mithraism, as I mentioned before, is what got me to purchase the book. I had come across the claim before in my reading that Christianity stole from this ancient, little known mystery religion. I couldn't find very much on it and came to the conclusion that scholars didn't have that much information. Yamauchi pretty much confirmed my conclusion - there isn't much that scholars really know about Mithraism. Many of the sources that exist regarding the practices and rituals that liberal scholars say Christianity stole came after Jesus, not before. Yamauchi's debunking of claims that liberal scholars make, near the end of the chapter, is interesting and worth the read.

Finally, although Copan's interview wasn't anything really new for me, in regards to postmodernism (since I have read on this subject before), I felt that he was right on the button. Postmodernism, and hence relativism, whether it be any kind, is really self-contradictory. For relativism to be true for everyone, a relativist has to be an absolutist in order to believe that it holds true for everyone. I remember my professor in my critical thinking class in college discussing absolutism and the "fact" that absolutism wasn't true. I should have raised my hand at the time and asked, "Are you absolutely certain about that, Professor?"

In all, Strobel's book is worth the read. Of course, again, there will be those who will complain that Strobel only interviews believers. This is true, and I agreed with it at first, but when I thought about it some more, two things came to mind: 1) No skeptic even attempts to write a book like this that I know of, answering arguments against their own theories/beliefs in this fashion (even if Strobel's is exhaustive) and, 2) no book would be able to contain a back and forth thorough discussion between the skeptic and the believer.

Strobel seems sincere and he has a readable style but his theological training and his understanding of basic biblical facts are woefully short of what is needed for a work like this one.

This is the type of book that infuriates the active skeptics...I've read the blogs. After all, if Jesus is who the Bible makes Him out to be, He is narrow-minded ("I am the way..."), egocentric ("I am" and "I and the Father are one") and sometimes sounds like the class bully ("you are sons of your father, the Devil!"). But, like the exclusivistic version of him or not, it is vital to determine just who this Jesus of Nazareth really is. In yet another "The Case for..." book, Lee Strobel puts on his Doubting Thomas persona to interview some important scholars to determine just who this Man is and determine if Evangelical Christianity is right about its views. And, like his other books, Strobel does an excellent job bringing out information that everyone should consider when making their final opinions. The book is very readable, though the reader does need to pay attention and perhaps even highlight for notes. It is fun to stay with Strobel's thinking style, as his questions are very much on mark for where the typcial skeptic would have to go. If there is any criticism of the book, it's that some of the material is very similar to The Case for Christ, which was the original in the series. But with only six "challenges" in this book, there is much room to go deeper than the original. Overall, I believe every Christian should be able to handle the many issues that arise regarding the authentic Jesus, and after The Case for Christ, I would highly recommend this for the average layperson who wants to own his/her own faith.

This is extremely comprehensive. The DVD that comes with it is excellent for research -- especially good for writing papers.

Collins presents a rather interesting read. His book by book breakdown of the Hebrew Bible Scriptures is easy to read, and even enjoyable to parouse. A major pitfall of the book is that it provides deep doubts about the validity of Scripture without adequate information or data backing up such negative claims-- namely that a majority of the stories are folklorish in origin, solely for the purpose of explaining God's nature without fact, etc.-- and seems to be aimed more at disproving the Scripture's validity than studying the meaning behind Scripture. Many times Biblical scholars are able to state the intent of a Biblical passage without casting such deep shadows of doubt over how they should be read, their originality/validity, etc. Such a dark casting of the Scriptural sources seems hardly helpful to the student of these Scriptures. Yet it is also impossible to state that Collins fails to offer interesting information and historical background; this he achieves through several very well stated parallels to Ancient Middle Eastern lengends, stories, and other pieces of literature that clearly had an effect on the development of the Hebrew Bible. With plenty of delight but a bit too much doubt, this book is definitely an interesting and insightful read.

The author offers considerable information which illuminates the Old Testament. He makes points for supporting as well as refuting stories, details, which otherwise might well be taken for granite by the casual reader.

In my six years of study as a post-graduate Theology student,I have read many books introducing me to Hebrew Scripture. Many were excellent and scholarly yet none possessed the "flow and enticement" of Collins' research and presentation. I looked forward each night to resuming my study. Collins managed to tie all the information together, fill in all the gaps, present many perspectives and offer the latest assessment of the evidence thus far. I teach an Adult Bible Study - and ALWAYS have this book at my side. It's as pleasurable a read as it is informative!

The author presupposes that the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) is myth and builds all suppositions and arguments around that premise. Keep this in mind when you read.

I teach high school religion and decided to use this book as my textbook for the Old Testament. I am extremely happy with the book. It contains an incredible wealth of knowledge, but is still easy enough for high school freshwomen to understand. I am especially impressed with the carefully thought out wording of the book. The wording does not make judgements for the reader, but instead it allows the reader to decide things for herself. Overall, this is a great book for learning about the Old Testament, and it is honest in what it says about the bible, which is very hard to find.

If you are going to buy only one story Bible, make this the one.

I have been blown away by reading this Bible with my kids -- I love that many of the illustrations are drawn from an "above" perspective -- from God's vantage point, as it were.

This is the "big picture" of the Bible -- that people need saving, and God saves us. So yes, the book has "big pictures" as in illustrations, but it also presents the "big picture" of God's plan. The Big Picture Sory Bible -- get it?

The illustrations are so good, it's like watching a movie. My kids are spellbound. Twice we have sat down and read the entire book -- takes 1 hour, 15 minutes to go all the way through. The kids are 3 and 6 and have nothing like the attention span you would expect for kids to be able to sit still that long. They just fall into the book. When we break it up and read it bit by bit, they clamor for more.

There are 450 pages of absolutely amazing illustartions, and all pointing to God's plan.

The consistency of the message in the book is great. I'm going to buy more for new baby gifts -- talk about an amazing book!

I bought this book for my godchild and it is perfect for a beginner reader! The pages are extremely colorful and eye-catching and the sentences are easy for him to understand. This is a perfect book for a child to start learning about the Bible.

I have been reading this a couple pages each day to my toddler. I think the illustrations and the story line give a wonderful picture of how awesome our God is truly is. The book is a beautiful book and I'll probably read it repeatedly with my children.

This book is OUTSTANDING!! When I read it to my preschool class, they begged me to read "Just one more chapter!" each day! It really does an excellent job of telling God's Story of the WHOLE Bible, connecting the individual stories from Genesis to Revelation, even including the time of
waiting for the Messiah between the Old and New Testaments. The pictures are beautiful and colorful, showing the people from God's point of view. The text is written to carefully follow the Bible and is VERY child friendly - it has just enough text to go with each illustration. This book is great for children of any age AND the adults that read it to them!!

Have your children ever begged for more Bible stories instead of food? Have you ever read 160 pages to attentive toddlers in one sitting? And then have them ask for more? I certainly hadn't -- until I got this book.

The Big Picture Story Bible is unlike any other Bible story book I've seen. Rather than telling the familiar stories in the familiar patterns, this book instills in children a unified theme through both the Old and New Testaments. Author David Helm makes the common thread clear by emphasizing in each chapter how these true stories show God's love for the world and the fulfillment of His promises.

This is a big story in a big book. It measures about 10" square and contains 456 pages. Broken into 26 manageable chapters, the book begins with creation (Genesis) and ends with the Apostle Paul's vision of the new heavens and new earth (Revelation). Gail Schoonmaker serves as illustrator. She fills the book with big pictures, both colorful and unique.

What I Like: I love how my kids can't get enough of this book! We read 9 chapters (156 pages) yesterday, and they cried when I said it was time to stop. The chapter breaks offer easy "intermissions". The theme is clear! The text is perfectly toddler and preschooler friendly. I appreciate the use of repetition and the insistence on truth.

Some have complained that not all the best-known Bible stories are included; other stories do not provide all the details. This is not a Bible where you can look up favorite stories, but this is key to the point of the book: the Bible is more than just a collection of great stories; it is one big story consisting of several parts. Often children fail to see the connection between all the stories; they miss how God and His love for us strings the stories together to make sense of it all.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Tanya -- Christian Children's Book Review