Read-Aloud Bible Stories

This series is by far the best of the best. The stories and illustrations are fabulous! Children often find the illustrations in other Bible story books scary or weird. While the illustrations are true to the times in terms of dress, they are exaggerated in size, yet simple. For example, Zaccheus, "who was to little to reach high things..." is shown as a small man in HUGE chair. (p. 6-7) The text is delightful! For example in "The Boys and Girls and Jesus," the children come to see Jesus as part of families, i.e. "Every day lots of daddies and mommies came to hear Jesus talk. Grandpas and grandmas and friends came, too. Some days - there were too many people to get inside a house. Then, the daddies and the mommies and the grandpas and the grandmas and the friends stood right out in the sunshine..." (p.71-74) Great for older children to read to younger children. The best part is adults will enjoy this book too!

My 2 1/2 year old loves this book and requests it nightly. The language is simple for toddlers to understand, yet is Biblically accurate.The book summarizes the stories at the end and sometimes them a question they can easily apply. This book is a sweet way to tell Bible stories to the little ones, yet deep enough that older children will continue to get more out of the stories. The illustrations are simple and catch the children's attention. I plan to own all 4 volumes as we have worn out the first two already!!!

In my search for quality Christian books for children, I have been more disapointed than not. Many books out there are heavy handed, poorly illustrated, and often downright boring. Encouragingly, this book succeeds in areas where many fail.The author and illustrator (like Jesus) exhibit a sharp awareness of audience. They resist the urge to cover too much material (a sure way to bore small children) and instead concentrate on telling just five stories well. The first volume includes the story of Zaccheus, the healing of Bartemaeus, Jesus welcoming the little children, the calming of the storm, and the healing of ten men.The text captures the enthusiasm and spirit of each story. Albeit, the word choice can get a bit cutesy at times, but in general the stories are told effectively and in a fashion that makes for good oral reading (as the title claims). At the end of each story, there is a page that briefly summarizes a few of the key points in the story (ie., what the child is supposed to get out of it). Some may find this a bit heavy handed, but I really liked this touch. Repetition is great for children, and it encourages them to reflect on each story and apply it to their lives (modeling good reading skills).The abundance of bold illustrations capture children's attention. Whereas in some children's bible books, the illustrations are predictable and more of an afterthought, in this series, they take center stage. The pictures are vivid and uncomplicated, incorporating strong lines and bold colors. I appreciate the illustrator's ingenuity and variety of perspective. Overall, I think that this series is a great foundation block in any children's library. Good job!

As a father and a pastor, I know that good tools for family devotionals or Sunday Schools are not easy to find. The illustrations are what make this book so powerful. They take the point of view from a child and are wonderfully colored to enhance the child's imagination. One nice touch is that Jesus' face is never seen. This encourages the imagination and helps to avoid some stereotypical images of Christ that aren't biblical (e.g. Caucasian, blue eyes). This series by Moody Press is the best one that I've seen. The large size of the book makes it perfect for holding up and allowing many children to see the pictures. I have three children and have many books that remain on the shelf. This book is the one most often picked by them over and over again. I highly recommend it