However, sometimes illustrated storybooks are nice. We use A Child's Garden of Bible Stories by Arthur W. Gross and The Golden Children's Bible. And of course, Arch Books. I have fond memories of reading The Bible Story series by Arthur Maxwell, but I cannot attest to their orthodoxy (I should dig them up at my parents' house and write a review...) What do you like?
12 February 2011
Bible Story Books
If the story is simple enough, and is found in one passage, we usually just read to our children right out of our Bible.
However, sometimes illustrated storybooks are nice. We use A Child's Garden of Bible Stories by Arthur W. Gross and The Golden Children's Bible. And of course, Arch Books. I have fond memories of reading The Bible Story series by Arthur Maxwell, but I cannot attest to their orthodoxy (I should dig them up at my parents' house and write a review...) What do you like?
However, sometimes illustrated storybooks are nice. We use A Child's Garden of Bible Stories by Arthur W. Gross and The Golden Children's Bible. And of course, Arch Books. I have fond memories of reading The Bible Story series by Arthur Maxwell, but I cannot attest to their orthodoxy (I should dig them up at my parents' house and write a review...) What do you like?
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I have been really disappointed with the illustrations in many of the Arch Books. I thought I'd hit a goldmine when I first encountered them. But then, they started to get cartoonish. Which often trivializes the story. Bible story/Disney story. Not much difference.
ReplyDeleteI'm not downing all of them. We have a few. Just sad the whole line isn't consistently good :(
We recently purchased the Children's ESV through CPH.
http://www.cph.org/p-68-esv-childrens-bible.aspx?SearchTerm=ESV CHILDREN'S BIBLE
Again, I thought we'd hit a goldmine. Except the illusrations are done in a graphic novel style (not the same style as the cover). Again, I don't think this is *wrong*. I just don't get why? I'm still debating whether or not we'll go with it as it is otherwise satisfactory (and the pictures aren't horrible so much a priming my kids for anime). Blech.
I do like these poster sets that correspond to the Grow Sunday School series.
http://www.cph.org/p-2783-fall-2-bible-poster-set-grow.aspx?SearchTerm=posters
I figure we can have one frame in the living room that is dedicated to a poster of the story we are working on that week. I can read from the bible and the picture is up all week. NOW - this will take many months of our MISC budget line/fund to accomplish this - but for now, it's the best I've got.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteCPH has just released a new version of their Children's ESV that does use the Growing in Christ Bible Story art.
I'm also not a big Arch book fan. The art is mostly tacky and the writing is mostly a horrendous combination of cliches, failed rhymes, and botched meter. :P
ReplyDeleteThese are some great bible story books we have. Old Master paintings and KJV-style text.
ReplyDeleteStories from the Old Testament:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=0689809557&x=0&y=0
Stories from the New Testament:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=0689812973&x=0&y=0
I have fond memories of Arch books from my childhood, mostly because the 60's art blew my mind :)
ReplyDeleteOur sons' godparents gift Arch books at Christmas and Easter. I don't mind them (they chose ones without cartoonish art), although now that I think about it, we don't read them much. I do like that Arch books publish stories that aren't in other Bible story books. It's like there's some canon of which stories are acceptable and which are too obscure. (We have the Presentation at the Temple, and Josiah, neither of which are in our other story books). My husband hates the "poetry," too. I find it confusing sometimes, probably for the reasons Rebekah mentioned.
I really get more angry about coloring sheets. You just find the worst stuff out there. Eventually (5-6ish) we'll make our kids just draw the Bible story or saint, instead of coloring a coloring page, but in the meantime I might just publish my own coloring book.
Since we're complaining about art, I don't like Joni Walker's art (Follow and Do, Cradle Roll art, etc.). Actually, specifically, I don't like her hipster apostles/pastors/dads. I think you were talking about an Arch book a while ago, Rebekah, but you said Jesus looked like Kurt Cobain. I thought right away of the Last Supper scene in Follow and Do's "Lord's Supper."
Kira, those are awesome. How many stories are in each? I always wonder why anyone doesn't write a whole Bible history curriculum around great art.
Old Testament:
ReplyDeleteThe Creation
The Garden of Eden
The Fall
Noah's Ark
After the Flood
The Tower of Babel
Abraham and Isaac
Rebekah at the Well
Joseph and his Brothers
Moses in the Bulrushes
The Crossing of the Red Sea
The Ten Commandments
Ruth and Naomi
David and Goliath
The Judgment of Solomon
Belshazzar's Feast
Daniel in the Lions' Den
New Testament:
The Annunciation
The Birth of Jesus
The Visit of the Magi
John the Baptist
Herod's Birthday
The Wedding in Cana
The Miraculous Catch of Fish
The Woman with the Issue of Blood/Jairus' Daughter
Raising Lazarus from the Dead
The Last Supper
Garden of Gethsemane
Judas' Betrayal
Christ's Passion
Christ's Resurrection
Doubting Thomas
Supper at Emmaus
Saul's Conversion
:D I forgot about the Kurt Cobain Jesus. I don't like the Follow and Do illustrations either, also because of what pastors and church are made to look like. And then there's that insanely skinny mother presenting a child for baptism . . . ?!
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the F&D pastor depictions, but we still use it around here. I take glee in the family of 6 or 7 kids in one of the books :)
ReplyDeleteKira - thank you for the references.
Oh, besides the art, I like the Follow and Do series...for a while my 2 and 3 year old had me reading all six books every day. I noticed the large family, too, Lisa.
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you, Kira!