Sparkle and Changed International Children's Bible - A Review

Sparkle and Change

International Children’s Bible

publisher

Tommy Nelson

With the exception of the cover and some of the colors chosen for trim on the inside, these Bibles are identical. Using reversible sequins, they would appeal to girls from 1st through 4th grade. The 24 pages of full color helps include short essays, suggested Bible memory verses, and maps. Important verses are highlighted - though the paper is so thin that highlighting from the reverse side often appears on the reverse side of the sheet:

The highlighting above actually is from the verse (Psalm 139:23-24) on the previous page. A quick glance of this whole page looks as if four verses are highlighted - all four are from the previous page. The thin pages might make the Bible difficult to handle for a child - it is difficult to turn back a single page and pages may be easily torn.

The translation reads easily:

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. God gave his Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. 18 He who believes in God’s Son is not judged guilty. He who does not believe has already been judged guilty, because he has not believed in God’s only Son. 19 People are judged by this fact: I am the Light from God that has come into the world. But men did not want light. They wanted darkness because they were doing evil things. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light. He will not come to the light because it will show all the evil things he has done. 21 But he who follows the true way comes to the light. Then the light will show that the things he has done were done through God.”

I am not qualified to evaluate the translation, per se. But neither is a child - if the stones can deliver the Word of God (Luke 19:40), so can this translation.

The publisher suggests that both version of this Bible are aimed at a feminine audience - similar resources need to made available for the boys in the church.
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This review is based on a free copies provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Frost Bible - A Review

Frost Bible

by

Thomas Nelson Publishers

A Review

I never thought I would say this - but I was disappointed in this Bible. Having adopted the “Frost” name, I expected this Bible to be of interest to a child who was enthralled with the Disney movie Frozen.  Having now seen the Bible, I no longer think this is the case. To verify my opinion, I also checked with my wife, an experienced preschool teacher; she agreed with my assessment.

With few exceptions, the Frost Bible is more a pew Bible than a devotional Bible or a Study Bible for any audience, even more so for the apparent intended audience. The few things that distinguish it from a pew bible are an included tote bag and 8-12 sheets of colored images. Those images have no connection to Frozen.  Also, the front cover and binding (not the back cover) has a “frosty” feel that might seem exciting if it added anything. Four color maps, much like you would expect to find in a pew Bible, are also included.

I had hoped this Bible would be a suitable Christmas gift for a Frozen enthralled grandchild. I will not be giving it this year. There are other and better choices for the granddaughter or grandson - The Frost Bible will not do.

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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 expressed are my own.