Illustrated Bible Stories by Usborne tells 19 Old Testament and 12 New Testament stories, starting with Adam and Eve and ending with Jesus’s ascension into heaven. Every story is told in 10-12 pages, in easy-to-understand language, with frequent illustrations. Text is larger and at a lower reading level, and would be great as a read-aloud or as a first Bible for a new reader. After the Old Testament stories, there is a map and a list of key characters in the Old Testament. Then at the back of the book are maps and a list of key New Testament characters, including the 12 disciples. Hardcover, 368 pages.
Note: Like many children’s Bibles, especially from a non-Christian publisher, there is a decent amount of creative license in filling in some of the details of the biblical account. For example, in the story about Jesus as a boy, the author writes, “…his parents forgot the angel’s promise that their child was the son of God. Jesus himself tried not to think about it.” And in the story about the wedding at Cana, it says “Despite himself, Jesus was annoyed… and muttered under his breath.”
~Tara