My First Handy Bible

Book Review

I often complain about the lack of aesthetics in most churches and ministries today. Once upon a time art in the church was all about giving God the best, not “our best” but “the best”, whether we’re talking about music, art, or even the Sunday morning bulletin.  It’s all a matter of how we view God. 

Is He worthy of the best? 

Let me ask this: if the president was coming to visit our church, would we settle for what we do every week, or would we try to up the ante and maybe hire in some professionals to give him an experience that’s worthy of his visit. 

How much more for the King of Hosts?

Is it any wonder that so many find the world more attractive?  At least they seem to care about and believe in what they’re doing enough to spend some effort and money on it.

This may seem like a strange rant to walk down for a review of a Children’s Bible, but often times I see Christian publishers doing the same thing: just throwing together some half-baked artwork for their cover, and crummy stories that took probably all of ten hours to write, draw, and color for children’s books.  

And then I there’s the Handy Bible. 

The book itself isn’t all that impressive.  Its gimmick is a cheap plastic handle and a cheap plastic latch that keeps it closed.  Imagine a tiny briefcase.  But inside . . . inside it’s amazing!

They hired professional cartoon artist Gustavo Mazali to illustrate the Bible stories, and the scenes and imagery are just gorgeous.  I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was about the artwork.  He has a style similar to Sam Butcher’s Precious Moments, and if you were just thinking about the commercialized version of his work, I’d encourage you to check out the Precious Moments Chapel and some of his finer paintings.  I think Mazali is much better at expression than Butcher was though.

My son loved the stories too, though at three, he wasn’t as excited about the professional quality of the art.  Someday he will be.  I learned to draw by copying out of a picture Bible, and maybe he will too.

At any rate, I highly recommend this book, but also all the other selections from Scandanavia Publishing with illustrations by Gustavo Mazali.

Buy the book for $11.01

About the Book

As soon as they can talk, most little ones begin asking for a Bible to hold in their very own hands. Now, from Denmark to America, comes My First Handy Bible (Scandinavia Publishing) for babies and toddlers, with all the best stories from Genesis to Revelation. Young children delight in carrying around the compact and colorful Bible—taking it to church, “playing” church or cuddling up in a lap to have it read to them. My First Handy Bible has huge appeal for parents, grandparents, teachers and children’s ministry leaders, but especially for the kids!

NIV Boys Bible

What follows is a review of the NIV Boys Bible, but I’d like to take a moment to talk about the NIV in general if I may.

The NIV bible is one of the most prolific translations out there right now, and while it’s had its share of controversy over the politically correct changes that were made in the most recent editions, those making the charges against it make the mistake of forgetting the entire purpose of scripture that Jesus lays out in John 5:39:

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”

It’s all about coming to Jesus, not about the Bible or the translation of the Bible that leads you there.  My first Bible after coming to Christ was an NIV, and it’s still my preferred Bible even though it’s falling to pieces. Of course at this point, I’ve read through and use all the different versions.  I even used the KJV above for the Bible Nazis out there.  My point is that while there is only one way to the Father, Jesus Christ, I’ve heard countless testimonies of the different ways people have come to know Jesus, including by reading the NIV Bible.

That said, the NIV Boys Bible for younger boys is a fantastic way to get boys engaged with the Bible, and seeking Jesus.

It has several different commentaries throughout that help to engage the young male reader:

Book Introductions: A quick look at the author, setting, and background of each book.

What’s the Big Deal?: Find out who’s who, what’s what, and how they connect to God.

Makin’ It Real: What does this part of the Bible mean for you today?

Check It Out:  Fun facts and trivia from the life and times of the Old and New Testament.

Words to Live By: Key memory verses

And finally my all time favorite:

Grossology:  If it oozes, bleeds, smells, or makes your spine tingle, it’s in the Bible.  God didn’t avoid the messy parts of life.  He left them in, so get ready to squirm.

All in all I thought the NIV Boys Bible is a great tool for the young reader.  The only downside to the edition is the bulk of it.  In an age of cell phones and tablets, I’m not sure that a hard-back Bible that’s two inches thick is going to be all that popular with the younger crowd. 

Just my thoughts. 

I received this book free from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

P.S.  This book is included in the current giveaway, so if you want a copy make sure to see below and enter:

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God Gave Us Love

Little cub is annoyed by the noisy otters scaring away her fish, but Grandpa reminds her that part of the fun of fishing is just being together, which leads into a long lesson on the nature of God’s love.

Now I could get all haughty and dissect the theology in the book, but considering it’s a board book meant for children ages 2-5; I think it does all right relaying the beauty of God’s love even when we don’t deserve it.  The book delineates between what “like” and “love” are and that mammas and papas love for each other is special and not the way we should be loving others. 

I imagine that these are all questions that would come up for a child when you’re talking about love to this age group, so it’s good to have a story like this as a catalyst for discussion.

There were a couple of drawbacks to the book though.  The first one was that there really wasn’t much for storyline or character development.  My wife commented that it read like a Sunday School lesson more than a storybook, so don’t expect your child to get attached to or care much about the characters. 

The second issue is that the lessons are fairly lengthy and don’t have much substance.   My two-year old was squirming after about three pages, and then, much like the otters, he disappeared, which you might say is normal for a two-year old, but he’ll sit still and listen forever if we’re reading from his Winnie-the-Pooh book.  Why can’t Christian children’s books capture a young audience like that?

Sigh, that’s a topic for another day.

I wouldn’t go so far as to not recommend “God Gave Us Love” because the morals are solid, but I can’t imagine this becoming the “favorite” bedtime story in your home any time soon.

Buy the book for $8.79

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.  All opinions are my own.

Halfway Herbert

Francis Chan tells us the story of Herbert who never finishes anything.  He finishes half his homework, he eats half his dinner, and he only brushes the top half of his teeth.  That’s why all his friends call him Halfway Herbert.  And when Halfway Herbert crashes his bike into his dad’s car, he tells his dad a half-truth so that he won’t get in trouble.

Halfway Herbert soon learns that a half-truth is a whole lie, and Jesus doesn’t take us halfway, He wants us to give Him our all. 

In the author’s note at the end of the book Chan writes, “The typical American pattern is to tell our kids about the love of Christ and wait until they are older to teach them about what it means to follow Christ.  Let’s not sell our kids short.  Let’s not underestimate what the Holy Spirit can do in the lives of our children.”

This is why I love this series of children’s books that Francis Chan has released.  They teach biblical truth in an accessible but unreserved way to children.  I find myself as convicted as the children in the stories by the lessons that are taught.

I highly recommend Halfway Herbert and any of the Francis Chan children’s books for the children in your family.

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God's Wisdom for Little Boys

God’s Wisdom for Little Boys by Jim George and his wife Elizabeth George is a collection of character traits derived from Proverbs for what God’s little boy is.  For example the first page begins: “God’s Little Boy Is Helpful” based on Proverbs 3:27: “Whenever you are able, do good to people who need help.”

These traits and nuggets of wisdom are coupled with some amazing paintings by Judy Luenebrink; I think the cover page shown here demonstrates what a great artist she is.

As my son grows, I hope to make this a staple in his reading diet.  Learning the words of Proverbs in a fun and practical way will lead him in the steps of righteousness early on and hopefully impact him for eternity.  If you have a young boy in your life, I definitely recommend God’s Wisdom for Little Boys.  If you have a little girl in your life, there’s a God’s Wisdom for Little Girls available too, but I don’t have a little girl yet, so you’ll have to get a copy and let me know how it is.

Buy it now for $10.87