The other morning I spent about 15 minutes repairing several ripped pages and a broken binding on one of the most beloved books in my children’s library- The Big Picture Story Bible. This is the book that we currently use each night at bedtime with our girls. We have read through it in its entirety at least 4 times and have read certain stories dozens of times. Piper has some of the stories memorized and can sometimes be heard in her room “reading” them to her dolls. We will likely purchase another one for our youngest daughter this Christmas and, hopefully, I’ll be repairing it as well in the years to come.
Now I know there are a veritable cornucopia of Bible storybooks out there for sale. Literally thousands of them. But this is my favorite, hands down. Let me tell you why.
First, just like its name implies, it gives children a “big picture” view of Scripture as a whole. It starts in Genesis and ends in Revelation, including major occurrences in the history of God’s people along the way. It basically organizes the stories into God’s covenants with man- from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Moses to David to Jesus. After reading it through, your child (and you) will have a better grasp of the overarching message of the Bible. That’s a good thing.
Second, it is simple enough for very young children to understand but it doesn’t over-simplify the truths of God’s word by turning Bible stories into fables or morality tales. It is kid-friendly without being silly or simplistic and it keeps the main thing the main thing- namely God. I can’t express how wonderful, and rare, this is in Bibles for children. So often the tendency is to take stories and boil them down to a quick lesson on how to be a good kid. But that isn’t what God’s word is about. David killing Goliath isn’t about learning to be brave and face obstacles, its about learning to trust in a God who is big enough to do anything and always keeps His promises. And that’s what The Big Picture Story Bible conveys.
Third, the stories are short and easy to read but chock-full of truth. For our family, short stories are great because there is an almost 2 year old present at Bible story time. But the truth contained within each story allows us to discuss and draw out important things with our older daughter once the reading is finished. The stories are simple enough for her to memorize and yet deep enough that she still asks questions as we read them together.
So, if you are looking for a great Bible storybook for your family or to give as a gift, this is one I would definitely recommend. It isn’t the only one we have in our home, but it is definitely the most used and the most cherished. I hope it will be in yours as well.
*And, just so you know, no one responsible for The Big Picture Story Bible paid me or promised me free books for writing this, I just really like the book! But if the author stumbles upon this post and wants to send me a free copy, that’d be okay ; )
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[...] already shared one resource we use in teaching our children, The Big Picture Story Bible. We also teach our girls catechism questions, and for that we use a book called Big Truths for [...]