Skip to content ↓

Children’s Bible

I am looking for suggestions on a Bible for my children. My children are five and two and seem a bit bored by their current Bible story book. The one we have was given to us but features awful, cartoonish pictures and the text is very simple. So we would like to bump them up to something with less of a cartoon feel, but also something with more meaningful text.

We went to the local Christian bookstore last week, and while they have a very good selection, there did not seem to be one that was quite right. We did find one that both my wife and I thought looked excellent, but when I flipped to the story of Jesus’ birth, it had Ave Maria printed in the margin and seemed to be as much an exulation of Mary as a story about Jesus. Looking at the back I saw that one of the three authors was a nun and another taught at a Catholic seminary. What appealed to us about the book was that it had lots of wonderful illustrations and focused on the historical aspects of the stories. For example, in the margins there were pictures of artifacts from the time, little “snippets” of information, and so on. My son loves looking through history books, so I think this would have appealed to him.

Ed, who owns the local bookstore, recommended John MacArthur’s series, and they did look good, but while they had plenty of pictures, the book did not have a historical feel and probably would not have appealed so much to my son. My priorities are a) well-written stories targetted at young children. b) good illustrations that are not too cartoony and c) solid theology. A Reformed perspective would be nice, but, but at a children’s level I do not think there will be a vast difference.

I told Ed that I would ask people here what they find are the best books and would report back to him. So, if you have any suggestions on Bible story books or children’s Bibles, I would love to hear from you.


  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (October 25)

    A La Carte: Goodbye “Big Eva” / Why pop culture feels blah / When people leave our churches / Digital hirelings / Premil pretrib / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Ligonier Ministries)

    It was while the great reformer Martin Luther was studying the book of Romans that he rediscovered the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Today Ligonier Ministries is offering R.C. Sproul’s commentary on Romans as a free ebook for Challies readers. Download your copy to enjoy a verse-by-verse exploration of the rich gospel truths woven…

  • The Benefit of Boring Television

    The Benefit of Boring Television

    Aileen and I like to watch boring shows right before we turn in for the night. An exciting game or an intense movie might get us too engaged and keep us from being able to fall asleep. But a boring show nicely slows the pace and prepares us to rest.

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (October 24)

    A La Carte: Have we ever been woke? / A dangerous new ecumenism / Find a new home / If the Lord permits / Have you counted the cost? / The joys of pastoring / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (October 23)

    A La Carte: Awaken your hunger / Abortion pills and emergency contraception / Cybersecurity for churches / Delighting in God in unfavorable circumstances / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • The Power of a Single Snowflake

    The Power of a Single Snowflake

    There are blessings that come with living in a part of the world that sees four distinct seasons. There are trials, too, like when the days are scorching or the nights are bitterly cold. But if I were to leave this part of the world, I know I would miss the seasonality of Southern Ontario…