Review - Zonderkidz The Beginner's Bible Great Gift Read Bible Through In A Year

Studying the Bible is the base, starting point, and a huge part of the reason we homeschool. So, when I was asked to review The Beginner's Bible from Zonderkidz, I was very excited! Add to this, the idea of reading through the Bible in a year, starting in January, and this couldn't have come at a better time.

What is The Beginner's Bible from Zonderkidz?


The Beginner's Bible is a Bible story book filled with brilliant colorful illustrations that make Bible or storytime engaging. Hold the Bible up for your child to see while you read, or have your little one sound out the words and learn to read with Bible stories. It is intended for young children or early readers, generally speaking - Ages 6 or younger. But, don't hesitate to use it with a slightly older child or one who is a reluctant reader. My daughter is 10 and a fluent reader but still surprised me with how interested she was in the colorful pictures and text.

The book comes with an index in the front that lists 48 Old Testament stories and 46 New Testament stories, 94 total. If you are reading the Bible through in a year, you could focus on one new story every few days or read through The Beginner's Bible entirely almost 4 times throughout the year.

The pages also include a colorful map, great for geography studies, and a short Bible dictionary in the back to look up words or add to a Language Arts study.

The Beginner's Bible is bound with a sturdy, glossy cover. The pages are also thick, glossy, and easy to turn making it perfect for little hands.

I received a hardcover, physical, hold-in-your-hand-and-read Bible story book for review. I was familiar with some of the original The Beginner's Bible versions and always liked the illustrations, but this latest one has even more amazing images.

    If you are familiar with and liked the original The Beginner's Bible pictures, wait until you see the all-new 3D artwork in this newer version. You and your child might feel as if you have stepped inside the pages.      

If you own an iPad, you get an extra special treat. There is a free app you can download that corresponds with the 94 stories of The Beginner's Bible. You receive the firs 6 stories for free with the download, and then the additional story packs are available for $1.99 each with an in-app purchase. The app includes puzzles, on-screen coloring, games, and Bible characters your child can touch on screen. The app is recommended for children ages 2 to 6. Click on the picture below to discover more about the app:

How Did We Use It?

I sat down with my daughter and showed her The Beginner's Bible. She is a little older than the intended age, so I was happy to see her reaction. She was genuinely interested in reading and looking through the pictures. I showed her how it was laid out, with the index and Bible dictionary, colorful map, and explained that it was a Bible story book. Together, we counted the stories and reflected upon how it starts with Creation and ends with Jesus' return, packed with all the important stories in between.

 

 

What Did We Think?

I love The Beginner's Bible because it is appealing with the colorful images and large font text makes it easy to read. It is written at the perfect level for beginner readers, but the short text that is big makes it enjoyable for an adult to read aloud as well. While the book makes it clear that it is a Bible story book and not the full Holy Bible word for word, it summarizes all of the highlights that complete the lessons from the Old Testament through Revelation.

FIND ZONDERKIDZ ON SOCIAL MEDIA @:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zonderkidz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zonderkidz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/zondervan

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/zondervanp/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zondervan/

Read what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought of The Beginner's Bible from Zonderkidz by clicking on the picture below:

TOS Review - Zonderkidz Faith Builders Bible for LEGO Lovers

LEGO bricks, Duplo and other building brick toys are such a wonderful hands-on tool for learning. My kids have probably not explored as much with these kind of toys as other kids probably do, but we still have a love for LEGO bricks. So, I was thrilled to get a chance to review the Faith Builders Bible from Zonderkidz. The cover of the Bible alone was enough to pique my interests.

What is the Faith Builders Bible from Zonderkidz?

I received a physical book NIrV New International Reader's Version of the Bible that integrates chldren's love for LEGO bricks or other brick building blocks to teach God's Word. It is a full text of Old and New Testament written in the New International Reader's Version. Interspersed throughout are several glossy, full-color pictures of biblical scenes built using toy building bricks.



.

How Did We Use It?

I was asked to read a portion of the Bible with my child and use at least one of the 24 illustrated pages. Well, my child went to town with building even though all I could find in our house to use were the larger blocks, not the smaller LEGO bricks.

I sat down with her, and she explored the pages. I also read some key verses that I was familiar with in this version to see how it compared to the version I was accustomed to. I was pleased to see that the meaning of the text didn't seem to be changed drastically, but the wording was sometimes changed to make it more understandable. I was happy that it was not a paraphrase or a Bible story book but was a full-fledged actual Bible that has added the 24 pages of colorful illustrations picturing LEGO designs of Bible accounts.

My daughter had been building and left her designs in the living room. To my surprise, when I woke up before the kids one morning, I noticed this sunrise shadow of a cross that was filtering into my living room floor. It made me realize the significance of what she had built.

The version was new to me, so I was happy to see there was an explanation as to what the NIRV was. It appears to be the NIV, a version we enjoy, revised to make it easier to read but isn't overly paraphrased. The full text is still intact just easier to understand.

What Did We Think?

What we liked about the Bible was that it was a full Old and New Testament and in a version that is easy to read. We also really liked the idea of connecting block building to learning about God, and the pictures were really nice and bright clear photographs of dioramas pre-built to display the Bible accounts. What would have been even sweeter is if the pictures were presented in the LEGO-style full-fledged instruction book with a fold-out instructions of what bricks to use for each design. But, the way this Bible presents it leaves room for creative expression when the child tries to re-create each design.

*~*

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS - Find Zonderkidz online @:

Visit on Facebook or Twitter @zonderkidz.

*~*

Read what other members of the TOS Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:

'Thank You, Lord, For Everything' Child Book Review

What a sweet story perfect for little ones and such a durable board book with extra thick cover making it great for little hands. I was thrilled to get a chance to review this fun toddler/pre-school book through Book Look for Bloggers. I received the book in exchange for my honest opinion review. So, here it is!

It's never too early to establish a foundation of gratitude and thankfulness in a child. This book is a sweet read aloud to your little one any time of day, but would make a fantastic happy bedtime story to give the child something to look forward to when the morning sun appears. It is written in rhyme-like fashion with the continuous phrase of thanks that would also make it fantastic for a beginning reader to follow.

The book is a nice size, not too large, not too little and has a good solid feel to it with boardbook pages and a puffy feeling glossy paper lined cover. It is written by P.J. Lyons and illustrated by Tim Warnes.  Recommended for juveniles from ZonderKidz.

The story begins with an adorable life-like teddy bear bounding out of bed and starting his day with a "Thank you, Lord, for everything." As he begins his day with breakfast, and then to play outside, and a picnic lunch, the repetitious theme of "Thank you, Lord, for everything." continues throughout the book culminating in a two-page spread of the bear stretching his arms up alongside a bunny, raccoon and a bird perched upon the bear's hand, he exclaims -

"THANK YOU, LORD, FOR EVERYTHING!"

It would make a great addition to any book gift basket, a gift to a new mother, or for any bookshelf that has a toddler or early reader frequenting it. But, don't be surprised if you reach for it yourself when no one is looking, because the story line is so happy and uplifting, pointing us to an attitude of looking for thanks in everything, even the tiniest of detail throughout our days.

Review of 'Goodnight Ark' Soothes Children To Sleep

There’s a new child’s bedtime book that will soothe your child off to sleep with a smile. If you listen, you’ll probably hear laughter as the last sound before turning out the lights for the night. The book is Goodnight Ark by ZonderKidz, and I was fortunate enough to receive it from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

It takes a tried and true Bible story character and sneaks a peek through a fictional window during a frightful night of storms. I bet you never thought that Noah may have actually known how to calm even the largest animal.

Goodnight Ark was written by Laura Sassi and illustrated by Jane Chapman. It is a hardbound adorable book from ZonderKidz.

The story is a whimsical look to a night on Noah’s Ark when one by one each group of two by two animals become frightened by the storms and climb in bed with Noah. With the weight of all those animals, Noah’s bed was sure to break, but it was the skunk that finally stunk up the place and scared them to a haybale elsewhere. In the end, Noah soothes each paired off group to sleep with a lullabye.

Obviously, it’s not the story of Noah as told in the Bible. But, it doesn’t take away from that story, either. It is intended as an uplifted, lighthearted story to send children off to sleep. It’s humorous, easy to read, and the pictures are spectacular.

The story is told in short rhymes that make the entire bedtime story sound like your own lullabye as you tuck your little one into bed to read. It also provides a cute way to interact your child into subtle lessons of cause and effect, identifying small and large animals from snakes to elephants.

The author is a mother of two who currently lives in New Jersey, and the illustrator is a multi award-winning artist from Southern England and also a mother of two. Pick up your copy of Goodnight Ark for $15.99 at Zonderkidz.com