Monday, February 10, 2014

"Candle Bedtime Bible" by Karen Williamson & illustrated by Christine Tappin

About the book: There's always time for a story with the Candle Bedtime Bible! Coded for easy reference, forty favorite Bible stories are each timed to be told in three, five, or ten minutes. With plain language and gentle illustrations, this Bible is perfect for a peaceful story time.

My thoughts:  When selecting a story book for children, a parent or guard must first of all decide the purpose of the book. Is it to entertain or to educate? Is it to excite or ready for relaxation? What time of the day will it be read to or read by the child? That last thought brings us to this review of Candle Bedtime Bible which is a compilation of Bible stories or retelling of events recorded in the Bible in language and terminology and length and depth of understanding for the young child.

Based on that, the stories should not be educational to the extent that they involve discussion and depth of understanding. Bedtime stories are to prepare the child for sleep and relaxation. They can plant seeds of knowledge in the mind and heart of the child, but should not overly excite the emotions or thoughts of the child. I found that Candle Bedtime Bible is pretty well written and on levels of understanding that the young child can comprehend to the extent of their own vocabulary development, though not on such an immature, childish level as to not allow for growth and development.

The illustrations are cute. The colors and style of the illustrations are soft and soothing yet capture the essence of each story. The print size is suitable for the young reader to be able to read without difficulty. The length of the stories varies where parents can choose the shorter or longer stories according to time allotment.

I especially liked that the book did not actually become a text book with guidelines for the parents. I believe that the parent should guide the child in matters Biblical and the interpretation of Bible and events should be under the direction of the parent. The entire book is devoted to give a brief, child-level, read through from Genesis to Revelation. At the end of each 3-, 5-, and 10-minute story the Scripture reference is given. This will sufficiently provide adequate cross reference for further study or clarification. However, as I said earlier, a BEDTIME story book should not be about challenging the mind or deeply implanting facts in the mind. A gentle planting of a seed or reinforcement of a story is all that is needed just prior to the child's evening of rest.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Kregel Publications on behalf of Lion Hudson in exchange for my honest review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. No compensation was received for this review.

1 comment:

  1. My nephew reads Bible stories to his children every night before bedtime, They would love this

    ReplyDelete

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