Favorite Bible Story Books
We believe it is never too early to start teaching children the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and we strive to saturate our children’s hearts with God’s Word starting at a very young age, basically at birth. Giving children a solid foundation in their early years will give them a welth of truth and knowledge to draw from as they grow in their faith and continue to add to their understanding.
The best way to teach children the Word of God is to be consistent in pouring in little by little. It doesn’t have to look fancy, children learn from observation and it is good for them to see YOU reading the Bible as well. We prefer to have our family Bible reading time in the morning, which is as simple as pouring a cup of milk (for the toddler) and a cup of hot tea for me and then reading a few pages in our storybook Bible together. We typically save our Bible storybooks for other reading times or just a casual read later in the day.
Never underestimate the impact of Sunday school teachers on the hearts of your small children either. I have often heard my toddler come home quoting verses and singing songs she learned in Sunday school that we did not practice at home. A sweet Bible teacher is a precious gift in the lives of our children.
While there is nothing better than reading the Scripture itself, quality children’s Bible story books can be a great way to help small children understand the biblical narrative. While there are many beginner’s Bible books out there, in our own home, we prefer to choose books that are theologically rich and sound, while also having vibrant illustrations that are beautiful and wholesome. Unfortunately, I have found it difficult to find sound children’s books that meet both requirements.
As I have searched, I have come across a few companies that have created Bible story books that meet all of the requirements for our home and I would love to share them with you. In this blog post, I will share a few options for beginner storybook Bible’s as well as individual Bible storybooks and other books that teach sound biblical doctrine.
Children’s Story Book Bibles
The Jesus StoryBook Bible was the first child’s story Bible we purchased for our daughter. It has many of the key Bible stories and is true to the Scriptural narrative. It’s a great place to start for younger kids, however, I do recommend reading with a little caution. While I didn’t see any huge red flags, the more we read through this book, the more concerned I became with some of the author’s liberty with the narration of the stories and I often found myself skipping through a lot of the text. I am also not a huge fan of the illustrations as they edge on cheesy, in my opinion. I am keeping the Jesus Storybook Bible here because it is a very popular children’s Bible and is widely available and can be a great first Bible.
The Kingdom of God Storybook Bible is new to us and so far we are loving it! It has beautiful illustrations! It is split into two volumes – Old Testament and New Testament and it is very true to the accuracy of the Scriptures. The end of each story has a few simple questions to help your children think through the story and engage with it in a meaningful way. I highly recommend Lithos Kids as a resource for their storybook Bibles and also their children’s Pilgrim’s Progress storybooks.
Spirit of God Illustrated Bible – this is a book that we have not yet read, but I have heard wonderful things about it, particularly for teaching about the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit’s role in the believer’s life. This would probably be better for older children, but check it out if you’re needing a good resource on this topic.
The Biggest Story Bible Storybook is another great story book Bible. It systematically teaches a collection of Bible stories in a way that helps children understand the big story picture of the gospel.
Best Bible Storybooks
Let’s move on to some Bible story books. These are books that are single volume titles telling the story of a particular account or Bible character. The Good Book Company has some of the best selections, in my opinion. I love that they include Scripture references and remain true to the biblical account, while teaching truth in a way that little hearts can understand. Bonus, the illustrations are sweet and engaging! All of these stories are relatively short and you can easily read the entire book in one sitting.
One of our favorite collections is the Very Best Bible Stories. These are mostly Old Testament stories and you’ll find titles beginning with the story of creation and walking through the whole Old Testament. There are ten books in this series, including one for Easter and one for Christmas. Here’s a few of our favorites:
1. God’s Very Colorful Creation
3. Esther and the Very Brave Plan
4. David and the Very Big Giant
5. Daniel and the Very Hungry Lions
The Good Book Company has also published a series of books called Tales that Tell the Truth. Many of these are New Testament Bible stories, but there are a number of Old Testament titles as well. Our absolute favorite is The Garden, The Curtain, and the Cross. I love the way this book teaches the story of God’s love for humanity, starting in the garden all the way through the cross. My favorite part of this book is that it connects the significance of the temple curtain to keep separate the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple with the fact that the curtain was torn in two when Jesus died on the cross, symbolizing that we can now enter into the presence of God himself. It is so powerful!
Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer is another great book that teaches how to pray, what to pray for, and why and to Whom we pray. It also comes in a board book that has charming, simple text that even the littlest readers will be able to grasp.
Other titles in this collection:
2. The Prisoners, the Earthquake, and the Midnight Song
Most, if not all of these titles, also come in board books, perfect for toddlers to handle!
Lastly, I want to tell you about a few favorite resources from Tiny Theologians. If the idea of teaching your children big truths like the omnipotence or omnipresence of God seems overwhelming, these titles will be perfect for you. This three book series by Amy Gannett is beautifully written in way that simplifies these concepts for young children. We have all three and read them weekly in our home. We refer back to them often when talking about God’s power and presence in our lives and they have been immensely helpful in teaching these truths. I hope you’ll check them out!
As always, I recommend that you check your local library for these titles and read them that way first to see if you love them. It can be hard to find some of these titles in your local library, but I have found a few. You can also check your local book store or online thrift stores like Thriftbooks and BetterWorldBooks for gently used, discounted copies of these books before purchasing new. The Good Book Company will periodically run great sales on books, so be sure to check back frequently.
I hope this list has been a help to you as you seek to teach your children the story of Jesus. If you find something you love, I would enjoy hearing about it. Leave a comment or tag me on Instagram. I always enjoy hearing and seeing new resources!
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