BIBLE STORYBOOKS FOR SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN

Collections of Bible stories written for children aged 5-12 years.

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The unofficial Bible for Minecrafters

(Garrett Romines & Christopher Miko, Lion)

2016 conference recommendation by Phil Moore

The amazing world of the Bible is brought to you by two Minecraft master builders. Enter a new world – full of exciting quests, danger, and miracles. Walk into the Garden of Eden and see tumbling waterfalls and lush landscapes; accompany Noah as he builds his ark; see the parting of the Red Sea; watch the blocks of the Jericho walls break apart; witness Jesus perform miracles – all created in Minecraft! In this Anglicised edition, the stories from the Bible are retold in block form, capturing the breath-taking adventure of these well-known tales.

The Jesus storybook Bible

(Sally Lloyd-Jones, Zondervan)

2016 conference recommendation by Phil Moore

2011 conference recommendation by Krish Kandiah

At the centre of the Story is a baby, the child upon whom everything will depend. Every story whispers his name. From Noah to Moses to the great King David; every story points to him. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle – the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, as the Story unfolds, children will pick up the clues and piece together the puzzle, discovering that Jesus is at the centre of God’s great story of salvation, and at the centre of their Story too.

The Barnabas family Bible

(Martyn Payne & Jane Butcher, BRF)

Written for parents, grandparents and carers to share with their children through interactive family Bible and prayer times, this book spans the whole Bible narrative through 110 key extracts, with each section providing a brief comment on the passage, questions to discuss, a visual aid to encourage engagement with the story, an activity idea, a prayer idea, a key verse and a link to another Bible story. It also contains a Guidance and Support section on sharing faith as a family.

In the introduction to the book, the authors share the following: ‘Family is a big idea and needs to be seen as such. It is for all sorts of families that The Barnabas Family Bible has been written. Wherever children are being nurtured in love by significant adults in their lives, there is family… So however you are gathering to read the Bible together, we hope that this book will become a treasured and valued companion.’

Sue says: This book would make an ideal gift for parents who ask for a thanksgiving, dedication or baptism for their child. The Guidance and Support pages at the back of this book will give encouragement, ideas and confidence to families who want to explore the Bible and grow in faith together but don’t know how to get started. But, as the introduction says, ‘Wherever children are being nurtured in love by significant adults in their lives, there is family,’ and that can describe your church gathering too – so this book could also be a useful resource for children’s work leaders.

The Lion storyteller Bible

(Bob Hartman, Lion)

2015 & 2012 conference recommendation by Bob Hartman

2011 conference recommendation by Alexa Tewkesbury and Bob Hartman

Author Bob Hartman has established an international reputation as a storyteller and writer. This edition integrates more than 20 new Bible story retellings with the 50 tried and tested originals and features new, more modern illustrations throughout. It also includes a useful appendix of Bob Hartman’s hints and tips for storytelling.

The Barnabas children’s Bible

(Rhona Davies,Barnabas)

2013 conference recommendation by Martyn Payne

This follows a chronological, rather than Biblical, order of 365 stories, retold in a continuous thread from Genesis to Revelation and includes several stories not generally included in children’s Bible storybooks. Illustrated throughout, each story has a Bible quotation from the CEV, encapsulating a truth from the story. There is also a helpful encyclopaedia of background information on topics including civilisations, food, towns, religious practices and daily life plus indexes of people and famous passages.

A similar edition, also available: The Barnabas school’s Bible

The Lion Bible for children

(Murray Watts, Lion)

Murray Watts combines expert Bible knowledge with skilful storytelling to create a storybook with comprehensive coverage of over 250 key Bible themes and stories. The text aims to remain faithful to the meaning and spirit of the original and the style reflects the variety of the Bible itself (e.g. reportage, poetry, history, letters). It is also beautifully illustrated.

Big Bible challenge

(Scripture Union)

Aimed at 7-12s, Big Bible Challenge presents 100 key Bible stories in an exciting, child-friendly format. The stories are grouped into 20 Bible challenges, each featuring five Bible stories, one in full and four in summarised form with the opportunity for the reader to find out more. Each challenge helps the child to explore the Bible both visually and through responding to suggested questions and activities.

The big God story

(Michelle Anthony, David C Cook)

This is not a traditional children’s Bible story book compiling 100+ stories. It is 32 illustrated pages covering Genesis to Reveleation. Although the truths of the Bible are so magnificent and endless that we continue to learn and discover them our entire lives, they are also simple enough for children of any age to understand as well – that’s the beauty of his story!’ Michelle Anthony

Sue says: This is a great book for giving the ‘big picture’ of God’s redemptive plan and helping children put Bible stories into that context. You could read it to a group of children in 15 minutes and I watched Michelle tell this story to a group in her church, choosing children to be the different characters passing ‘God’s Promise’ from one to the next.

The action Bible

(David C Cook)

750 pages divided into 200 stories covering most of the Bible narrative. The 2014 edition includes the audio CD of stories that was previously available separately.

‘People don’t usually think of God like this, but God is the original action hero. Everyone is so impressed when Superman blows a car over with his breath, yet God created the whole universe with his breath. Superman may save the day with his strength, but Jesus saved the whole world with his death. And then there are the humans God chose to fulfil his divine plan – they were pretty awesome (although imperfect) action heroes themselves.’

Sue says: A comprehensive set of Bible stories told and illustrated in a way that may introduce them to children who are reluctant readers.

New Testament tales: the unauthorized version

(Bob Hartman, Lion Hudson)

2013 conference recommendation by Bob Hartman

Packed full of humour, mischief, and silliness; Bob Hartman’s fresh take on these familiar stories from the Bible are guaranteed to entertain you kids. Each story is well crafted to finish with a flourish of memorable life lessons. Aimed at 7-10s, especially boys!

Also available: Old Testament tales: the unauthorized version More Bible tales: the unauthorized version

Christmas Bible comic