Step #1: The Beginner’s Bible
Hang around ABCJesusLovesMe for a while and you will hear reference to The Beginner’s Bible. Out of all the children’s Bibles that I have reviewed (and it’s been a lot), this one is by far my favorite. Fun illustrations and Biblical truth in a way young children can understand. If you desire to use only one children’s Bible, this is the Bible that I suggest for ages 1 through 4 years. It is the suggested Bible for the 3 and 4 Year Preschool Curricula.
But at some point, children grow up and desire to read the Bible on their own. How do you prepare for this time?
While it is not mentioned in the newest editions of The Beginner’s Bible, Karyn Henley is the author of the original Beginner’s Bible. But, she didn’t stop there. Mrs. Henley has created two more levels of easy-to-read Bibles, perfect to prepare a child to read an adult Bible.
Step #2: The Day By Day Begin-to-Read Bible
Written specifically for children ages 4-8, The Day By Day Begin-to-Read Bible combines children’s favorite stories in a daily-reading format. Each day’s story covers one or two pages short enough for an early-elementary child to successfully read. The stories are written in chronological order (the order in which they happened historically) and contain Scripture references.
Step #3: The Day By Day Kid’s Bible
The next step is the The Day By Day Kid’s Bible which divides the Bible into 7-minute, 2-3 page reading sections. The 365 sections provide opportunity for a child on a 2nd grade reading level to read through the whole Bible in one year.
The text has been simplified (e.g. tabernacle to worship tent, God’s people to Jewish people) to help young children understand the truth of the Bible. Various passages due to content (e.g. genealogies, repetitive passages, sexual or graphic scenes) have been excluded. I personally think of this book as a devotional more than a Bible because of the chronological story order, excluded content, and dated sections.
The 14-page timeline in the center of the Bible compares Bible and World events. This is fascinating! I would love to have this as a poster to put on the wall – for the adults and children in our family. The “world events” include events such as: when hopscotch, leapfrog were started, first Chinese dictionary, first trumpet in Denmark, Romans learn to use soap.
Side-by-Side Comparisons – Daniel in the Lions’ Den
The Beginner’s Bible to The Day By Day Begin-to-Read Bible
While more stories are covered in the Begin-to-Read Bible, The Beginner’s Bible stories are typically longer and contain more description. For example, it surprised me that the rainbow isn’t mentioned in the simplicity of the Begin-to-Read Bible story of Noah’s Ark.
The illustrations grow between the two Bibles. For examples, The Beginner’s Bible contains a photo of the foot of the cross while the Begin-to-Read Bible contains a side image of Jesus on the cross. The Beginner’s Bible contains more rounded, cartoonish characters, while the Begin-to-Read Bible has illustrations with more defined edges.
| Beginner’s Bible… | Begin-to-Read Bible… | |
| Ages | 1-4 Years | 4-8 Years |
| More Stories | X | |
| More Details in the Stories | x | |
| Illustrations | Cartoon | More Defined |
The Day by Day Kid’s Bible to a Bible
As my children and I have read through The Day by Day Kid’s Bible various parts of the story surprised us. My kids have asked me, “Is that really in the Bible?” And to my surprise, when I put the Kid’s Bible next to the Scriptures, I have found the translation to be accurate.
The simplicity of the The Day by Day Kid’s Bible wording has created some disconnect for my children. For example, “God will bring good to people who know they need him. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.” vs. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The kids are familiar with the “blessed are…” wording from the Beatitudes and struggled to make the correlation with the wording change. A quick discussion helped bridge the gap.
There you have it! Three children’s Bibles that prepare a child to read an adult Bible. Isn’t this what every Christian parent desires?
****Want to see more of each Bible? Head over to the ABCJesusLovesMe Instagram page to view a fun video!****
Read more…
- How to Choose the Best Children’s Bible
- Which Bible is Best for Your Child or Classroom?
- How to Transition from a Children’s Bible to an Adult Bible
Thank you to Tyndale for the opportunity to share my honest opinions about these Bibles.
