The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins

The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins is a great basic break down of all things Jesus. The book is broken down into the sections covering Who Jesus is, What Jesus did, What Jesus taught, When it happened, Where is happened, Why it happened and How it happened. Each section does a wonderful job of breaking down the fundamental aspects of Jesus and his life. It lends itself very nicely to use as a teaching tool for younger children. This would be a great addition to any religion class. I will admit some terminology was a little too difficult for my 3 year old to understand, but this book is something that I can use over time to support her understanding of Jesus and his life. The illustrations by Claudine Gevry are wonderfully done. Each page has a basic illustration that does not clutter the page, but assists in the understanding of information in the book. The maps, timelines, and scripture in the book are wonderful additions! The 30 song CD that accompanied to book is great. The songs are targeted towards younger children. My 3 year old was singing and dancing to them as soon as I turned it on. A great CD for the car to sing to!

Read and Share Toddler Bible

The Read and Share Toddler Bible was, overall, a decent book. The book is targeted towards toddlers and so I had a few issues with the book. Some of the stories were not written in a way that a Toddler could grasp. For example, Adam and Eve – after they admitted that they ate the fruit God said “out you go … you can’t live in the garden anymore” this sends the wrong message that children may be asked to leave if they sin. I also wondered why some stories were selected to tell over other stories that may have been more appealing to a toddler. The illustrations were great and I enjoyed the way each story had the original bible selection listed. From an educator stand point – I found the learning suggestions for parents (found after each story) were a good quality. Some were a tad too farfetched. As for the DVD, well…. I think that they had nice intentions; however I think some stories were too straightforward for a toddler. For example when the Kings wife temps Joseph, the acting out is a bit suggestive. The story of Balaam and the Donkey showed him beating the donkey and threatening to kill him. Overall I feel that some stories and word choices were a little too extreme for toddlers. Would I buy this for a gift? Probably not. With the selected Bible stories in this book targeted towards little children, I felt that some stories needed to be handled with a more delicate nature.

The I Believe Bunny

The I Believe Bunny has wonderful illustrations (Frank Endersby) , an excellent story (Tish Rabe), and most importantly a heartfelt message about strength through prayer. What can I say; it is not too often that my entire household enjoys a book. The message this book sends about the power of prayer and helping others is well delivered and easy for a child to comprehend. The author, Tish Rabe, does a brilliant job teaching the verse Philippians 4:13 : `I can do everything through him who gives me strength' . When faced with a complicated task Bunny puts aside his own apprehension and places his trust in God. Bunny gets some help from his friends and is able to save Mouse. Though this book may be classified as a Christian book, it has strong character lessons, such as teamwork and friendship that will reach various age groups. This book is positive throughout and easily lends itself to conversation about faith and trust in God. My three year old has enjoyed reading this book as well as my eight year old cousin. This would make an excellent “new baby” gift or christening/baptism gift. I would recommend this book for children ages 2 and above.

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