Book Review: "Big Red" - The International Children’s Bible

The main draw of the "Big Red" International Children’s Bible is the new computer images interspersed throughout the pages. Growing up, I had a children’s Bible with pictures of Bible stories, but this one is expressly modern and more appealing to kids who’ve grown up in the age of Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and VeggieTales.

Now, to be sure, the pictures are not Disney quality. Many of the Bible characters are light skinned (with the exception of Pharaoh’s daughter, the Ethiopian eunuch, and various angels). The angels fit more with the caricature of men and women in white robes with white wings, but this has been a staple of children’s bibles for a long time (just check GoogleBooks). All in all, kids will find the pictures helpful in understanding the storyline and can even help affirm the truthfulness of the Bible.

This is an actual Bible. All 66 books are there, from Genesis to Revelation. The translation is at a third grade reading level, and I would suggest that a child who can read should probably have a copy of the entire Bible. As kids get older, naturally, I would suggest a more literal (and higher grade-level) translation, but this translation is still pretty good (read through Titus and looked at other verses I know well) and it is above all understandable.

My pastor says the best Bible translation is the one you will read. On the face of it, that’s pretty good advice. I’m confident that kids who read for themselves and don’t have to be read to all the time will get good use out of this Bible. And giving a child their very first Bible is kind of a rite of passage that they will not soon forget.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.