ICB GOLDEN PRINCESS SPARKLE BIBLE - A Review

ICB

GOLDEN PRINCESS SPARKLE

BIBLE

A Review

Based on a translation specifically designed for children, this easily held book may be attractive to girls in the 1st through 3rd grades. The Bible is rather bare bones - with the exception of translator notes, no helps are included in the body of the book.

That is not to say that study helps are not included. Most obvious, to the younger reader, will be the 24 full-color pages scattered throughout the book. To the older reader are a number of helpful indexes:

• A list of key verses on various topics of interest to kids
• A brief (22 pages) Bible dictionary
• A three-page list of “Where Do I Find It” pointing the reader to specific texts on key Bible people and themes
• A two-page listing (along with the Bible text) of some of the important promises found in the scriptures
• A three-page listing (along with the Bible text) of suggested memory verses

The back cover indicates that a concordance is also included; I suspect that the short lists mentioned above intended to serve as a concordance - they barely serve that purpose. Thus, this reader does wish these additions were a bit longer and included more content.

Given the minimalist approach taken by the editor in compiling this Bible, this reviewer is only giving three-stars to the final book. It would make a great gift, but not a helpful Bible for most young children.

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This review is based on a free copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

The Prayer Bible For Children - A Review

The Prayer Bible For Children

A Review

In spite of many positive reviews, I found this children’s Bible to be lacking. 

Using the description provided by Bible Gateway, the ICB is best suited for “a barely literate society because of its economy of words, acrostic literary form, and poetic parallelism.” Though the text is aimed at the third-grade reader, the book as a whole is not. Having said that, this version is also not presented in a manner that will be appealing to children. The chosen font is too small for most young readers. The illustrated pages use only gold and dark blue - with black text, possibly providing more appeal for an adult audience than for the children the title suggests the book is targetting. 

The various helps included might be more suitable for the middle school or junior high reader, but this reviewer doubts that typical middle schooler or junior high students would want to be carrying a “Children’s Bible”. Also attached as a separate booklet is a 64 page (lined) “Prayer Journal” for the child to record their own prayers. No suggestions are available for the use of this booklet and the child using this Bible will need assistance from a parent or Sunday School teacher in order to make use of it. 

My rating for this Bible is not that I do not think it has value, but because I question the value of this edition for a child. If an adult wants to say, “I gave my child a Bible as a gift,” this may be a suitable gift. But that would be more satisfying to the adult than to the child. There are more suitable children’s Bibles available. 

If the word “Children” were removed from the title, this book would be better suited for an audience working with a group where English is considered a second language. An adult ESL student would be able to overlook the title and be able to accept the format as appropriate for their age and educational status. 
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This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.