Hello World,

Can I be honest with you? As a child, the Bible was a little bit intimidating to me although I come from a family of preachers who definitely thumped the Bible without apology. Although I loved words from the time I first began learning them, the Bible had so many of them and quite a few of them were thees and thous and or unfamiliar and hard-to-pronounce names like Zedekiah. In fact, most of what I remember about learning about the Bible had to do with cartoon movies about parables that were shown to the children in my church and school. I especially loved learning about “The Pearl of Great Price” because the pearl used in the cartoon glistened so. But reading the actual Bible itself wasn’t as much fun or even understandable unfortunately.

That’s why when I was offered an opportunity to review Zondervan’s NIrV, The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids, I had do so. And I received a copy of this new Bible for free as I’m a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid. Below are book details about the NIrV, The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids followed by my review:

NIrV, The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids is a brand-new kind of Bible that allows kids ages 4–8 to read the full Bible without chapter and verse numbers and footnotes—study aids that are helpful for adults but can be very distracting for kids. This Bible presents the story of God’s people in a single column format with an extremely readable font. With nearly every turn of the page, children will encounter full-color illustrations and kid-friendly maps that illuminate the Bible story. For children who want to read on their own or with an adult nearby, this is the perfect first full-text Bible for kids who appreciate the power of story and of God’s Word.

Features of the NIrV, The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids include:

• Bonus full-color double-sided poster
• Over 750 full-color illustrations throughout
• Full-color, child-friendly maps
• Single-column text
• Easy-to-read Comfort Print^® font
• The complete text of the New International Readers’ Version (NIrV) of the Bible, created at a third-grade reading level just for developing readers
• Vibrant and engaging cover

First of all, I appreciate that this Bible is written in language that is easy for children to understand. (Actual verse numbers for each verse are not included but that did not bother me as the message is more important than the verse number.) For example, “The Pearl of Great Price,” which is in Matthew 13, is referred to as “The Stories of the Hidden Treasure and The Pearl” and the illustration of the pearl does not disappoint. It is large and luminous, making the text more approachable. I also appreciate how the people of the Bible are depicted in this version. Without getting into a debate about how different Bible greats looked, we all know that many people have been depicted as white throughout history when that was highly unlikely given where Biblical times unfolded. In this version, Adam and Eve as well as Jesus are people of color. (Adam and Eve are a bit darker than Jesus in this version.)

Additionally, people of every race are depicted in this version which will communicate to children that every ethnicity is valuable in the eyes of God as we were all created by Him. For example, the angels illustrated to depict Isaiah 6 show a brown angel, a black angel and a white angel.  See how “The Ten Commandments” are illustrated below.

I also appreciate how the wisdom of the Bible is depicted in this version. For example, as a child, I learned how not to brag on myself from Proverbs 27:2. (I have to remember this when I “humble brag” on Facebook. LOL) In the KJV version, it reads like so, “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.” In this version, it reads, “Let another person praise you and not your own mouth.” And next to this verse is an illustration of a young girl surrounded by quotes of accolades given by other people – “She’s kind,” “She has an A+,” and “She’s a fast runner.” This illustration perfectly captures the verse and makes it understandable for children.

Also, I’m a tactile person so I love the smooth feel of the pages. In fact, the feel of magazines versus newspapers was one reason why I preferred reading magazines over newspapers and subsequently majored in magazine journalism in college! This Bible is so well done that I’m considering keeping it for myself when I originally intended to give to my 11-year-old niece! LOL. Just kidding. Don’t tell her, but this Bible will be one of her Christmas gifts from Auntie Jackie this year.

Let me know what you think once you buy your own copy of the NIrV, The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids…

Any thoughts?