Best Children's Religion Books
A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation---and at the center of their Story too. “I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian–from pew warmers, to ministry leaders, seminarians and even theologians! Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God’s revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning–a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned.” – Dr. Timothy Keller, NYC ( Dr. Timothy Keller ).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've tried three or four toddler Bibles, but they ranged from the meaningless and banal (Read With Me Bible For Toddlers) to the downright horrifying in their interpretation (The Story For Little Ones). The Jesus Storybook Bible, on the other hand, seeks to show how God's plan of salvation is unfolding through each story, and largely succeeds in doing so. First of all, there are children's Bibles like the Read With Me Bible that are simply bland. Granted, toddlers are not going to pick up on every nuance of a story from the Bible, but the Read With Me Bible often chooses the wrong points to emphasize, entirely leaving out important points of narrative along the way. One story simply lists miracles Jesus did with no context, failing to communicate that Jesus' miracles actually anticipate and begin to realize a new world, a world where God's Kingdom and rule are breaking into the world in a new and exciting way. This simply displays a level of ignorance about the story of Samson that is beyond belief for someone writing (interpreting) a Bible for children! So, for example, the story of the Exodus is told not as the story of God's great magic show, but instead on the great, mighty, and terrifying rescue of God's people from their slavery, pointing forward also to humanity's slavery to sin and coming rescue in Jesus. But again, the strength of this Bible is that it gets the story right, interpreting the main idea correctly and always pointing toward Jesus."
"For someone who may be familiar with the full version of the Bible and may be concerned about teaching children biblical accuracy, this book may be found a bit frustrating. While the illustrations are whimsical and a great accompaniment to the text, and the story language is simple and easy to follow, there are an awful lot of unnecessary additions."
"I personally like the cover because the picture of Jesus, I believe, is more accurate than the traditional image of a "white" Jesus that we usually see."
"Our 8 year old has moved on to more detailed Bible summaries and more just Bible reading, but this book certainly played a large role in the kids falling in love with God's Word."
"We read this during Advent this year and I am disappointed I didn't know of this sooner."
Brazilian artist Sergio Cariello has created attention-holding illustrations marked by rich coloring, dramatic shading and lighting, bold and energetic designs, and emotionally charged figures. What David C. Cook couldn't know is that Sergio had grown up in Brazil with a Portuguese translation of that very same Picture Bible. Even though he knew as a kid that he wanted to be a comic artist, he never would have dreamed that he would one day get to work on the Picture Bible itself!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I absolutely love The Action Bible! The Action Bible isn't just for kids, I'm 30 and love it."
"Incredible number of stories (over 200)--this thing is THICK and solid. Similar to the Sistine Chapel, it explains Biblical truths in an engaging, dramatic, and artistic way that is relevant to our culture's art-form (i.e. graphic novels). In the same way it would be unfair to see the Sistine Chapel and complain how Michelangelo painted Cane and Able in the nude. I'd rate this PG depending on the maturity of your child and his/her understanding of Biblical text. Perfect for teenagers or kids you're looking to get hooked on Biblical studies."
"My son has been in Sunday School for few years, but sometimes he didn't understand bible stories in order. He's been reading since I got the book every night, He will have questions while reading such as "is it true that David had a red hair?"."
"Please consider that this is NOT an exact word for word depiction of the bible."
"CHASED BOTH THE ACTION STORY BOOK BIBLE: AN INTERACTIVE AND THE ACTION BIBLE, MY SON WHO 6 YRS OLD IS AN AVID READER (HE'S BEEN READING SINCE AGE 3) AND WHO WANTED A BIBLE OF HIS OWN LEAD ME TO DO A SEARCH ONLINE, I THEN CHECKED AMAZON AND YES!!!"
"From what I was able to view online of this book however, including a short video with several pages displayed, (with great quality and graphics), I am confident it will be a wonderful gift for my grandson, who is far more likely to want to read Bible stories because of it's 'comic book' telling and hence bringing the characters and stories to life for a young mind/boy."
"The only drawback, if you can even call it that, is that the book is quite heavy and somewhat difficult for my 6 year old to manage when he's trying to look through it by himself. Even for me, as a seminary trained pastor, the stories have great value and refresh my memories of previous studies."
A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation––and at the center of their story too. Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God’s revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning–a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned.” – Dr. Timothy Keller, NYC ( Dr. Timothy Keller ).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"But for a simple "read aloud time" or bedtime story bible, it's excellent."
"Not a review of the bible content, which is great, this is a review of the gift edition."
"We bought this Bible for our daughter's first Easter and couldn't be happier. We have purchased this book (different edition) for the kids in our lives for years."
"It's bigger than the other version (although I don't mind the smaller one for small hands) and the foiled cover is lovely. And the way the stories are told make me tear up...always including how much we are loved by God and the coming of Jesus."
"The stories are also told in a way that keeps my kid's interest and it just does a great job of sharing God's love on each and every page!"
"The stories are geared towards kids but we have found it useful as adults as well."
"If you are looking for a children's Bible then this is one of the best out there."
"Beautifully written and put together - this is a "must have" for children!"
Best Children's Buddhism Books
Featuring engaging characters, enthralling adventures, and modern language that speaks to today’s kids, these beautifully illustrated stories can help children relieve stress, attain greater academic and social achievement, and enjoy a more positive outlook on life. Dharmachari Nagaraja regularly presents BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought with Terry Wogan, and has appeared on BBC 1's Heaven and Earth programme.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Our child really like these stories at night before bed and asks a lot of cute questions."
"I can not express how much I love this book."
"Seriously, you don't have to be Buddhist to love this book."
"We LOVE this book!"
"I cannot get enough of the Buddha at Bedtime stories!"
"Perfect length."
"My 3 year old son absolutely loves these stories. They are pure gold and I reference many of these stories throughout the course of the day as teaching points and to help my son understand why we are doing things."
"These are great stories that can be easily digested by children between the ages of 5 - 10."
Best Children's Christian Books
A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation---and at the center of their Story too. “I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian–from pew warmers, to ministry leaders, seminarians and even theologians! Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God’s revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning–a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned.” – Dr. Timothy Keller, NYC ( Dr. Timothy Keller ).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've tried three or four toddler Bibles, but they ranged from the meaningless and banal (Read With Me Bible For Toddlers) to the downright horrifying in their interpretation (The Story For Little Ones). The Jesus Storybook Bible, on the other hand, seeks to show how God's plan of salvation is unfolding through each story, and largely succeeds in doing so. First of all, there are children's Bibles like the Read With Me Bible that are simply bland. Granted, toddlers are not going to pick up on every nuance of a story from the Bible, but the Read With Me Bible often chooses the wrong points to emphasize, entirely leaving out important points of narrative along the way. One story simply lists miracles Jesus did with no context, failing to communicate that Jesus' miracles actually anticipate and begin to realize a new world, a world where God's Kingdom and rule are breaking into the world in a new and exciting way. This simply displays a level of ignorance about the story of Samson that is beyond belief for someone writing (interpreting) a Bible for children! So, for example, the story of the Exodus is told not as the story of God's great magic show, but instead on the great, mighty, and terrifying rescue of God's people from their slavery, pointing forward also to humanity's slavery to sin and coming rescue in Jesus. But again, the strength of this Bible is that it gets the story right, interpreting the main idea correctly and always pointing toward Jesus."
"Along with "God's Love" by ChampThornton, "The Bible's Big Story" by James Hamilton, "The Biggest Story" by Kevin DeYoung and "What's in the Bible With Buck Denver?""
"I love this, I have toddlers and want them to know about the happiest, greatest story in all the world<3 Its simple and sweet and I love how each biblical story ends with how that story paves the way for Jesus. Mostly the main message, the good news; God loves the world, loves YOU, no matter what!"
"It’s great to read alternate translations (even kids versions) while retaining biblical accuracy."
"I was delighted to find out that not only did we finish it but she also brought it back to me after a few weeks and wanted to read it through a second time!"
"So many of the versions out there are just the regular bible verses with colorful kids pictures incorporated."
"Every single Bible story is tied to Christ and points children to the understanding of God's overall plan of redemption and salvation through Christ."
"They were 3 months when I. started reading to the twins."
Best Children's Eastern Religions Books
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh answers heartfelt, difficult, and funny questions from children of all ages. ", each page presents a question with a short answer from Thich Nhat Hanh, appropriate for beginning readers to work with on their own. There are both spiritual questions and really nitty gritty daily life questions, from Why does the world exist?’ and Why is my brother always so nasty to me?’ to What is meditation and why do people do it?’ and Why do I feel sometimes that everyone is against me’ What a gift Thay’s answers are! is a delightful book filled with answers to questions, some more philosophical than others, that every child wonders.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Good bedtime book for kids."
"A beautiful book and a such a joy to share with my children."
"Its a bit shorter than I expected - my daughter finished it in about 10 minutes, but I keep it in the magazine rack in the guest bathroom and have nothing bad to say about it!"
"I have been looking for a book like this to address the big questions that children ask."
"This is another fantastic Thich Nhat Hanh book, but not only for children."
"I love the conversations that come up with my child after reading the questions and answers."
"Beautiful and wise."
Best Children's Hinduism Books
"Amme Tell Me" is a charming and informative series of children's books that introduces the major Hindu festivals and figures to young readers, and are perfect for families wanting to share stories of Hinduism with their children or for educators looking for resource on the Hindu culture for their students. The Series has ten books on the festivals of Holi, Diwali, and on the Hindu gods Krishna, Hanuman and Ganesha. She currently works for a major Swiss Bank and lives in Hong Kong with her husband, their two sons and their two dogs.Bhakti is a committed writer ambassador for Room to Read, a global non-profit which offers holistic literacy and girls’ education programs.An avid reader, a long-distance runner and a yoga enthusiast, when not working or running after her boys, she is happiest curled up with a book in her hand and a hot cup of chai.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"While we gently tried introducing him to Amar Chitra Katha (which was one of my own childhood favorites) we knew that stories and illustrations were geared toward an older child."
"Both my 7 and 5 year old girls love this book."
"There is such a dearth of of good Indian authors writing books for young children that I can't wait for the author to publish a whole series about the various Indian festivals."
"As a booklover with limited experience with kids, I'm always on thin ice when it comes to selecting books as gifts for kids."
"Nice concept and illustrations."
"great read with kids and kept it interesting for both my 4yo and 6 1/2 yo."
"My son loved this."
"The title is evocative and the book itself, a fascinating journey into a sublime world- one of colour and imagination; of myth and inspiration. What a delightful book."
Best Children's Inspirational Books
In this heartwarming children's tale from the best-selling pen of author Max Lucado, Eli the woodcarver helps Punchinello understand how special he is--no matter what other Wemmicks may think. Max Lucado (MA, Abilene Christian University) serves as the minister of preaching at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, and is a best-selling author and speaker.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We've gotten some other books that have a somewhat similar message - "I made you and I love you... what others think doesn't matter" - but their novelty (and her requesting to hear them) wore off as soon as they weren't new anymore. I might've teared up reading the book the first time."
"these books are gentle they allow one to read to a child and then talk about values accepting others as well as ourselves a model for living with kindness in prek the children listened and understood an older child will understand it more deeply an adult will start a great conversation with a child and lenrich the adult child bond by talking about "important things"."
"AMAZING book."
"Just discovered The Wemmicks and then got a baby shower invitation that said "bring a book" so I decided to get this one for my new greatniece!"
"Fantastic book with positive message."
"This is a fantastic story."
"The review is not for the content."
"The kindle version doesn't have pictures and the writing is tiny!"
Best Children's Islam Books
With breathtaking illustrations and informative text, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns magnificently captures the world of Islam, celebrating its beauty and traditions for even the youngest readers. Hena Khan has written children's books on a wide variety of topics, and she takes particular interest in writing about her Muslim culture.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My kids love the fact that they are so many Islamic kids books out there "for them" I bought this several times for my kids' friends also."
"The illustrations are beautiful and it's a great easy read to keep children interested."
"My two year old son enjoys looking at all the pictures and images even though he may not fully understand it right now."
"With perfect rhyme and gorgeous illustrations, this book provides a simple introduction to the world of Islam as seen through the eyes of a young narrator."
"I want to raise an open minded child capable of choosing her own beliefs (or lack thereof). To be able to do so I'd have to introduce her to all religions since they've began introducing her without my consent (and against my wishes). This book is a great introduction to Islam for a 5 year old ."
"Fantastic book, my 2 year old loves it."
"This book was purchased to add cultural awareness to my classroom."
"My 2 year old loves this book."
Best Children's Judaism Books
“Much like The Boy In the Striped Pajamas or The Book Thief ,” this remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list, “brings to readers a story of bravery and the fight for a chance to live” ( VOYA ). The storytelling can at times meander, and the various reflections of his life in Poland during the war can result in a certain patchiness, but Leyson’s experiences and memories still make for compelling reading about what it was like to suffer through the Holocaust.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The book is so well written, with rare insight from a child going through the ordeal."
"Amazing story that should never be forgotten."
"The writer was the youngest of the Jews Schindler helped escape."
"A great book, everyone should read."
"This is a sad story of how so many people have no value of a life."
"Great read."
"So sad what happened and although we have read about it before, from so many stories and movies, this book had a different view."
"The Boy in The Wooden Box was a great book, it was hard to put down."
Best Children's Jewish Fiction Books
This 25th anniversary edition of a now-classic tale relates how Hersehel outwits the goblins that haunt the old synagogue and prevent the village people from celebrating Hanukkah.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Won the Caldecott Award the year it was published!"
"I usually don't like goblins and witches stories or anything scary for that matter and I don't do Halloween, BUT I really enjoyed this book immensely."
"My kids (6 & 9) love this story."
"Loved the beautiful illustrations!"
"Before giving it, I admit—I reread the book, and it definitely holds up even as an adult."
"I am confused by the review that says this book advocates violence as Hershel tricks all of the goblins without physically hurting them (though I suppose he does threaten one of them)."
"I ordered this book to be a part of our Hanukkah unit, and the kids loved the story so much that we read during free time every day through the month of December."
"Great story about an everyday guy who uses his brains and faith to outwit a horrible adversary."
Best Other Children's Religious Fiction
This edition presents the seven books— The Magician's Nephew ; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy ; Prince Caspian ; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ; The Silver Chair ; and The Last Battle —unabridged and arranged in C. S. Lewis's preferred order. Deceptively simple and direct, The Chronicles of Narnia continue to captivate fans with adventures, characters, and truths that speak to readers of all ages, even fifty years after they were first published.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Also, the book description says "text only", which is strange, because this copy has tons of the original illustrations in full-color (I'll try to post pictures soon)."
"This is a beautiful paperback box set of the Narnia collection, that so many of us grew up with."
"We are living in such tumultuous times with a medieval death squad marching from the middle east slaughtering innocents, we need teach of children that good is worth sacrifice."
"This is a great edition of the series."
"My old copy of the narnia books was so worn and tattered and the binding barely sticking to the duck tape that I set out looking for a new and better copy after 10 years of reading my old copy. I found this beautiful edition that I have wanted for a long time for an awesome price, I paid 22 dollars plus shipping and handling, the book on amazon is described as: The Complete Chronicles of Narnia (text only) by C. S. Lewis."
"The latter provides a glimpse into the evolution of C.S.Lewis' writing, but my nonscholarly interest slacked off quickly."
"Lewis did a very good job writing these stories and used very exciting words. It was about how Lucy, Susan, Peter and Edmund fell in love with Aslan and became kinds and queens of Narnia.""
"maybe the description stated that and maybe I missed it, I haven't bothered to go back and look, but I would have liked it better as 7 books."
Best Children's Philosophy Books
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh answers heartfelt, difficult, and funny questions from children of all ages. ", each page presents a question with a short answer from Thich Nhat Hanh, appropriate for beginning readers to work with on their own. There are both spiritual questions and really nitty gritty daily life questions, from Why does the world exist?’ and Why is my brother always so nasty to me?’ to What is meditation and why do people do it?’ and Why do I feel sometimes that everyone is against me’ What a gift Thay’s answers are! is a delightful book filled with answers to questions, some more philosophical than others, that every child wonders.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Good bedtime book for kids."
"I love the conversations that come up with my child after reading the questions and answers."
"A beautiful book and a such a joy to share with my children."
"Its a bit shorter than I expected - my daughter finished it in about 10 minutes, but I keep it in the magazine rack in the guest bathroom and have nothing bad to say about it!"
"I have been looking for a book like this to address the big questions that children ask."
"This is another fantastic Thich Nhat Hanh book, but not only for children."
"Beautiful and wise."