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Today I wanted to alert folk of a new Bible storybook for Kids that is Biblically faithful, but also gorgeous in its presentation. This review is new for me as I have to remember that this is a kid’s book, but the review is also particularly easy because these volumes are just fantastic.
First, the volumes are published by Lithos Kids. If you haven’t heard of Lithos Kids, they are a family-run Christian publisher that crafts gorgeous Christian books to engage children. Their first two volumes were illustrated adaptations of the Pilgrim’s Progress, which proved to be (in my opinion) the most appealing adaptation of the story for children. Their work was top-notch from the narrative, binding, cover, paper, illustrations, study questions, and so forth (it’s worth picking up, my daughter loved it). When Lithos Kids said they would be producing an illustrated Storybook Bible for kids, I immediately was intrigued and excited.
This is all to say, I was not disappointed. Lithos kids have put together a two-book box set comprised of 616 pages of quality materials that illustrate the thread of God’s kingdom from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The Old Testament volume is 412 pages while the New Testament is 204. The book’s focus on the narrative of God’s restored Kingdom makes for a grand and seamless book that allows for children to navigate the depths of the Bible in a way that is truly engaging. Hard topics aren’t glossed over, but are handled extremely well with the book’s written content that is paraphrastic being faithful to its Biblical source material. While other Children’s Bibles have often been too broad or too narrow, this two set volume finds a happy medium and one that hits the right notes throughout the narrative.
The book being paraphrastic is a given due to the nature of the book’s target audience. Yet, while this is so, there were only a couple of times where I questioned the language used. But the kicker is this, with this story Bible, I would feel comfortable handing the volumes to my kids and saying, “go at it” without feeling that underlining sense of “am I going to have to do theological damage control?” Those few times where I questioned the language were at points where the meaning made sense and was sound, I just wouldn’t have worded it that way in particular. These couple of occurrences were so few (1 or 2?) that I can’t remember where they occurred. My biggest issue was a really small one, and that was the Birth narrative of Christ which ultimately follows the traditional picture we have formed over the years (no room at the inn, birth in a stable, etc). That’s such a niche complaint that I didn’t think I would include it, but I needed to say something negative about the book to balance this review (sorry Lithos kids).
When it comes to the illustrations, I love them. I’m a visually picky person and yet I found the images in these volumes to be fantastic. I especially like that they included some visuals of maps in a style that brings out my cartography nerd (Lithos kids if you’re reading this, map commission for one?). Additionally, I loved the way architecture is illustrated in particular and the vibrant styles really catch your eye. My only nitpicks were events that I personally envisioned differently, which isn’t a really fair critique (I mean, they should accommodate my imagination, but whatever).
In conclusion: this is an excellent set that you and your kids will enjoy. I think it would go without saying that if you hold that depictions of Christ are a violation of the 2nd Commandment, then this book is not for you. Ortherwise, I don’t believe you’ll have regrets picking up this box set. Lithos kids have done a fantastic job here and I think the attached images can give you a preview of the quality you can expect.
[Pre-order code expired**] Pre-order it now and use the code CHRISTISTHECURE at checkout to recieve an additional discount.
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2 Responses
My biggest complaint with American Christian books for kids is that the language and the writing is often just badly pitched for children. Is this done well? What’s the reading age level, really?
I think it is done well. The sample images can give you a feel overall. I believe the target is 9-12 years old.