Learning to read, reading to learn

(Sincere apologies to those of you who received this post twice via email. We encountered technical difficulties and had to remove it from the blog for serious revision. Meh.)

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Confession: I bought a lot of Bible storybooks for my children before we finally found a few we really loved. After much hunting, here are our three favorites.

You may click on a cover image to direct you to Amazon if you wish to shop or check prices. We bought ours there used, with great success.

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#3. The Growing Reader Phonics Bible

by Joy MacKenzie, illustrated by Jill Newton

Cons:

• The illustrations are cartoon-style
• Don’t look to this one for strict accuracy—

“The snake laughed. ‘That’s silly!
It’s nice, and so yummy!
God wants you to taste it.
It’s good for your tummy.’”

Pros:

• A super way for very young readers to become familiar with Bible stories on their own
• A different phonics sound showcased in every chapter
• Follows the basic story lines faithfully
• Colorful illustrations
• Fun wording, sometimes rhyming

“He said, ‘Now I will add
Birds with bills and fish with gills
And ants that sip up sticky spills…’”

[amazon_link id=”B001TKH5SU” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link] #2. Egermeier’s Bible Story Book

by Elsie Egermeier, illustrated by Clive Uptton

Cons:

• May be too advanced for very young children
• Slightly crowded layout

Pros:

• Very careful, thorough text with a respectful voice
• Over 300 stories
• More than 100 full-page, full-color illustrations
• Q & A section for quizzing

And the one we truly love:

[amazon_link id=”0892213329″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]#1. The Children’s Illustrated Bible

by Selina Hastings, illustrated by Eric Thomas

Pros:

• A thoughtful, engaging style you can read right out of the book—no more editing to make it interesting or accurate!
• Includes every major story in the Bible
• Deals tactfully with sensitive issues—Lot’s daughters, sodomy, the witch of Endor
• Packed with pictures, maps, diagrams and more
• Margins full of side notes on real-life Israel: interesting trivia, photographs of corresponding modern-day places, pictures of artifacts, notes on authentic diet and clothing from the era

Right on the heels of our search for the perfect Bible storybook, this mommy was stunned when her children found another: the Bible itself.

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Provided with the right version, a child can read straight from the Book, and love it!

We still don’t read as much Scripture as we ought.

How do you enjoy the Bible in your family?