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Friday, July 11, 2014

Power Bible Review

Power Bible: Bible Stories to Impart Wisdom - Complete Set (10 Books) 

Description:
It's the most exciting story ever told, filled with exhilarating adventures, awe-inspiring stories of faith, and the greatest news you will ever receive. It s a love story so amazing that it leads to the ultimate act of personal sacrifice. It s the bestselling book of all time: the Bible.

The Power Bible is a ten volume series that presents the Bible in a comic book format which appeals to all ages. From Genesis to Revelation, the Power Bible tells the truths of God's Word in a fun-to-read format that kids will want to pick up again and again!

Our team has fact checked and researched to make sure the Power Bible is faithful to the truths of the Bible, but it is not intended to be a substitute for the Bible. We encourage you to use this opportunity to engage your children and read the Bible together.


God is powerful and His word is equally powerful! So, power up your child with the power of God's word with the Power Bible!

My Review:
This is a great introduction to the Bible for the child that is not a fan of reading. Full of bright and colorful comic strip/anime images the stories hold true to the Biblical account and will give the reader an overview of key points, although it obviously can't delve deep due to the format. The publisher stove to "help young kids learn basic biblical principles in a format that is fun and easy" and I believe that they have accomplished their task.

 My 5 year old, who has very little exposure to anime, was excited to see a Bible that "actually looks like a comic book" and although she is a beginner reader, she was quick to identify some of the characters (especially Jesus) without help by simply looking at the pictures. My 14 year old, who LOVES to read, liked it as well. "It's really cool!" So definitely kid approved in our house. As a parent, though, I really feel like you can't use this as a primary text (which by no means am I claiming that is the publisher's attempt) and it would work great in conjunction with the actual text.

I've found that it really has helped with Bible study for my children. They read something in the Power Bible and ask, "did it really happen like that?" and we pull out the Bible to compare.

I was given the opportunity to look at volume 1: From Creation to the Story of Joseph, and volume 10: An Eternal Kingdom, which focuses on Paul's ministry and briefly covers parts of Revelation. I do wish that they were a bit clearer on who some of those portrayed in the accounts are. We are given an introduction to the major players at the beginning of each book, but in volume 10 there were parts that had so much going on and I just wasn't sure who the other people were.  For example during the scenes of the Jerusalem Council no one other than Paul and Barnabas were identified. This left me wondering who the dissenter was as I didn't remember there being one. I went back and read the passages in my Bible and realized that he was supposed to represent a Pharisee. (Did I mention that these were good for making you pull out your Bible for comparing {wink wink})

Given my children's overwhelming approval, and that they are currently arguing discussing who gets which volume, I expect we will be adding more of these to our library.  :)

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Get to Know King David review

Get to Know King David Description:

A shepherd and a king, David lived an adventurous life. He protected his family’s sheep from lions and bears. He fought a giant with just a sling and stone. He even spent years hiding from men who were trying to kill him. And eventually, David became a great king. But David was also a man of God. Learn more about this hero from the Bible and his exciting place in history. Discover what it was like to grow up in ancient Israel and then be a king of God’s people. King David - part of the Get to Know series - will teach you everything you need to know about an imperfect young man whom God used to do great things!

My Review:

I love that Sanders begins by explaining that David is not a myth, or a story, but was a real, live person-and gives evidence to prove it.  So many children grow up hearing the Bible stories but mentally place them in the same category as Greek mythology or tall tales.  I also like that she states, point blank, "the Bible is a reliable historic document".

Sanders account of David draws from various sources, The Bible (of course) as well as The Works of Flavius Josephus, various archaeological texts, and texts concerning the manners and customs that prevailed during those times.  She is careful to note areas that are supposition (i.e. "What did David think about and do all day when he was watching his father's sheep?  We don't know for sure. But......" p. 19) which is a huge plus in my book.  She also includes references to specific Bible verses to allow the reader to read for him/herself.

This book includes the same great additions I mentioned in my review of Get to Know Apostle Paul, such as Did You Know?, Bible Hero, definitions included on the same page as the word was used, maps and full color pictures.  I also enjoyed the Student Resources section at the end that included several suggested books for those who want to dig a little deeper.

While this book is being marketed to upper elementary students, I found the information and the visual layout appealing as an adult and my 14 and 16 year old children did too.  Definitely a great addition to your Christian library!

Look for my review of Get to Know Jesus in the near future.

Nancy Sanders currently has four books in the series.  Check them out below:

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Get to Know Apostle Paul review

Apostle Paul (Get to Know) Description:

Apostle Paul—part of the Get to Know series—is a unique biography about Paul. Focusing on the life and character of this Biblical hero, using color photographs, maps, and other visual resources to tell the whole story, young biography fans will come to learn more about this man of the God, his writings, his impact on the early church, and the role he plays in history.

Featuring a bibliography and scriptural references throughout, this is sure to become a favorite for young readers and for first book reports.

My Review:

Written for ages 6-10 by the author of many of the Imagination Station Series from Adventures in Odyssey, this is a title that you will want to add to your bookshelf.  Not only does it give an account of who Paul was and what he did, but it is chock full of extras like the "hero" notations of other people such as Ananias, Barnabas, and Amos.  Or the "did you know" sections full of interesting tidbits.

The photographs help the reader to really picture what things may have been like during Paul's time, the maps help us to keep all his travels organized, and the artwork opens a door for some great conversations. (What do you think Paul may have looked like?  How do you envision the scales falling from his eyes? etc)
There were few minor things that rang as wrong with me, such as, "Jesus taught that the traditions of the Jews were not as important as the Scriptures said." on pg. 27.  I never read anything in Scripture that said traditions were important, and such a statement comes across as Jesus contradicting Scripture which was not the case.  Still, they were very minor and probably wouldn't even come to a child's attention.

I look forward to reading the rest in the series and adding them to my child's library.