Christian Book Notes

Nichols, Stephen J. and Ned Bustard.  The Church History ABC’s.  Wheaton:  Crossway Books, 2010.  36 pp.  $15.99.  Purchase at Westminster for $10.55.

Introduction

Stephen Nichols is research professor of Christianity and culture at Lancaster Bible College & Graduate School in Pennsylvania.  Ned Bustard is a graphic artist who has written and illustrated numerous children’s books.  The ABCs are, well, the English alphabet .

Summary

The Church History ABCs is a fun way to introduce your child to the history of the Christian faith.  You will not meet Jesus or Paul or Shadrach, Medrach, or Abednego.  You will meet, however, Jonathan Edwards, the Wesley Brothers, and Lady Jane Grey.

Each letter of the alphabet is accompanied by a paragraph or two that is meant to be read aloud to your children.  For example, when introducing Hippolytus, they begin with, “Hi. Let’s get on thing straight, my name is Hippolytus, not hippopotamus.”  Each short bio offers some quick facts meant to introduce the man (or woman) in church history that represents the letter.

At the end of the book, there is a couple more paragraphs for each person which contain a bit more detail.  The entire book is designed to whet the appetite for the family as the children learn more about those giants on whose shoulders we stand.

Finally, in Sesame Street fashion, I believe The Church History ABCs was brought to us by the letter “J.”  I say this because of the 26 letters in the alphabet 11 of the names start with J!  Obviously, this is mostly do to the “John’s” who represent Calvin, Donne, Edwards, Foxe, Knox, Owen, and Wesley.

Review

The book is rather large and extremely colorful.  Ned Bustard did a fine job of illustrating The Church History ABCs.  The bios easily keep the children’s attention as they contain many funny side comments or anecdotes.  Given the audience (3-6 year olds), I am impressed how Nichols was able to keep my attention as I read the book to my children.  You can check out C is for Calvin and L is for Luther to see what I am talking about.

Recommendation

We are indebted to Nichols and Bustard for writing and illustrating such a wonderful book.  This book serves multiple purposes and therefore deserves a spot on your or your child’s book shelf.  First, it teaches the alphabet.  Second, it teaches church history.  Third, your kids will keep wanting to go back to it, thus cultivating a love of reading and church history.

Carney, Larry.  Read-Along Storybook — Sing-Along Songs.  Oxford: PC Treasures, Inc, 2010. 

Introduction

PC Treasures, Inc. is a corporation specializing in digital entertainment.  They have numerous video games, DVDs and Read-Along storybooks for children.  Since they specialize in digital media, the book section is barely the tip of the iceberg.  Check out their website for much more computer software and digital media that you did not know you needed!

Summaries

The four Read-Along books I am concerned with today are In the Beginning, The Story of Adam and Eve, The Birth of Jesus, and The Miracles of Jesus.  Each book is 24 pages in length and comes with a CD.  The CD includes the audio rendering of the rythmic stories as well as 10 children’s songs for your kids to sing along with. 

The books are colorfully illustrated and make it easy for the kids to be captivated by the story.  The stories themselves are biblically faithful and offer a great introduction to necessary truths foundational to biblical Christianity.

Review

As I stated above, the stories are biblically accurate which is, thankfully, becoming more and more common in children’s Bible-based books these days.  The audio CDs provide hours of entertainment for you and your kids.  You will even find yourself singing along and dancing right alongside them!

The only problem I hae with the books is the illustrations.  As far as artistic license is concerned, the artist, Enrique Vignolo, did an excellent job.  They are very child friendly and appealing to the younger eyes.  What I do not like (OK, can’t stand) is that everyone in the book is white.  It is as though you have an Irish-American with other than red hair.  The beards and mustaches look like they come straight out of the seventies.  I realize this is not that great an issue for many, but it does set up for our children an Americanized understanding of Scripture (opposed to understanding the historical contexts in which the Bible was written) which is usually to our detriment.

Recommendation

For Read-Along books and children’s books, I found this one to be fairly enjoyable as a both a dad and a pastor.  My children enjoyed the songs and the colorful pictures though I did explain to them that Christ did not look like us because He was from the Middle East.  These are worth picking up if you are looking for some children’s books based on Scripture.

Carr, Simonetta. Augustine of Hippo. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2009. 64pp. $18.00. Purchase at Westminster Books for $12.60.

Introduction

This is the second book in the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series by Simonetta Carr. The first book was on John Calvin (read review here). I know the third book in the series and will say I am uber-excited about the third book! For now, I turn my attention to Simonetta’s treatment of Augustine.

Summary

Simonetta takes a simple approach for the children to easily see the life of Augustine. She offers chapters on his childhood and young adulthood and his search for wisdom and becoming an extremely articulate young man in Italy. She shares how Augustine’s mom prayed for his salvation daily and how he ultimately did become a Christian and followed God into the ministry even if it was against his will! She concludes the biography with chapters on the difficult times that Augustine faced and what he did in the last days of his life.

The book is full of colorful illustrations and even includes a time-line and a “Did You Know?” section for kids who want to know more about the man many call a saint.

Review

I am really enjoying these children’s biographies. They make for great read aloud’s and offer excellent introductions to some great divines that many believe to be beyond the grasp and understanding of children. The colorful illustrations help the kids to “see” the events in Augustine’s life.

The chapters are short enough to read aloud and keep the children seated but just long enough to offer enough detail to pique the curiosity of your kids.

Recommendation

If you are looking for great books or biographies for your 7-12 year old to read, I highly recommend beginning with these. For younger children, I have discovered that these biographies make great read-aloud’s. Even more, I am confident that many adults reading these books will want to know more about the men being discussed.

Ham, Ken. Illustrated by Bill Looney. Dinosaurs for Kids. Green Forest: Master Books, 2009. 64 pp. $14.99. Purchase at Amazon for $10.19 or less.

Introduction

Ken Ham is the founder of Answers In Genesis–a ministry dedicated to reclaiming the authority of Scripture especially the foundation of the Bible in Genesis 1. While many charge they are nothing more than religious propaganda, there is actual science and scientific evidence that supports everything they do. Their main focus is on the theory of evolution. More specifically, Christians who believe in the theory of evolution as the means by which God created the universe.

Summary

The book is divided into 7 ages: Formed, Fearless, Fallen, Flood, Faded, Found, Fiction. In each age, dinosaurs are discussed using scientific evidence supported by a biblical worldview. Thus, many stereotypes crumble.

Throughout the book, children will be introduced to dinosaurs of all types. From the famous T-Rex to the Pterodactyl. The kids will see and understand how human (and dinosaur) history can be not only explained by the biblical accounts of creation, the fall and the flood, but also makes the most sense of the scientific findings of today.

Review

Many would argue that this is not a scientific book on Dinosaurs and that is simply Creationist propaganda. This is not true. Sadly, many Christians have allowed man’s explanation (evolution–which is still a mere theory) to explain what the Bible says about creation. Dinosaurs are, without a doubt, the most fascinating of all prehistoric creatures. This book on dinosaurs for children helps to reinforce a biblical worldview without denying the existence of ancient animals that are now extinct.

Recommendation

Ken Ham does an excellent job of keeping the Scriptures as the main resource for our understanding of science. What is more, the gospel is presented in the context of the destruction of the dinosaurs. To be able to share the gospel with a child at any time is a blessing in and of itself. To be able to do so in the context of dinosaurs is just plain cool in my book.

Many forget that modern science really started because men wanted to know better how God created both the earth and the universe. Unfortunately, many have created the god of science and now bow before it in the hopes that they do not have to answer for their sins.

As one who used to believe in a theory as fact, I highly recommend this book. If you do call on Christ as both Lord and Savior, then it is very important that you have a right understanding of Creation. Where better to start than with the question of the dinosaurs?

Meade, Starr. Illustrated by Tim O’Connor. Mighty Acts of God: A Family Story Book. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2010. 288 pp. $24.99. Purchase at Westminster for $13.39.

Introduction

Starr Meade has written one of the best children’s fantasy novels I have ever read. It is titled Keeping Holiday (you can read my review here.) In that review I said that Keeping Holiday was “like Pilgrim’s Progress meets Chronicles of Narnia.” Now, she has written a children’s Bible designed with Family Worship in mind.

Review

I am not going to offer a summary of the Bible even if it is in a children’s format. Rather, I will offer a review and critique of this children’s Bible in light of the multitude of Children’s Bibles published in recent years.

Starr makes it a point to hit the major highlights throughout both the Old Testament and New. She spends more of her time in the New Testament than the Old which is actually quite remarkable given she has forty-one chapters in the Old Testament!

At the beginning of each story is a key verse from another part of Scripture showing that the truths in the particular story are supported elsewhere in the Bible. Bold words appear throughout the book indicating words or theological terms that are probably unfamiliar to children (and maybe even the adults). Words in red indicate historic, Reformed Christian doctrinal teachings.

My favorite part of each reading is the “As for Me and My House” section at the end of each day (if you read a story daily). These provide excellent discussion points for the family after reading the story. Sometimes this section even includes activities to further drive the lesson home into the children’s heart.

Recommendation

I realize it may be sounding like a broken record, but I highly recommend Mighty Acts of God to be used as a children’s Bible. Given the multitude of children’s Bibles recently published, I would recommend this one above the others–which is not to say that the others are great in their own right! Rather, the added emphasis on doctrine, introduction to theological terms and discussion points simply makes this particular children’s Bible that much better. I think the best course of action, if you can afford to do this, is to purchase a few different children’s bibles and use them on a kind of rotational basis.

Elliff, Jim. Illus. by Caffy Whitney. The Eaglet. Parkville: Christian Communicators Worldwide, 2006. 27 pp. $3.16 or less.

Introduction

Christian Communicators Worldwide (CCW) is a ministry based in Parkville, Missouri—a town in the Kansas City metropolitan area. CCW exists to spread the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ as far as they possibly can. They do so through three main websites, CCW online, Way to God, and Bulletin Inserts. These three websites offer a plethora of free downloadable articles and gospel literature.

The “main man” (he would kill me if he knew I was saying this) of the ministry is Jim Elliff. He has a wonderful speaking ministry as well as a writing ministry. We featured quite a few of his books here at Christian Book Notes recently.

Summary

The Eaglet is a children’s book that plants gospel seeds in the hearts of the young and old alike. We follow a baby eagle as he grows and defies the commands of his father because he is big enough to do what he wants to do. He quickly learns that he should never have defied his father. As his father swoops down and saves him, we are reminded that even though we have (and continue to do so) defied our Father in heaven, He has still “swooped” down and offered to save us.

Review/Recommendation

This booklet is a short read that will have a lasting impact on both the reader and the hearer (assuming you read it to your children). The story is short enough to keep the youngest child’s attention while the message is deep enough to cause a grown man to think.

The artistry, done by Caffy Whitney, is cute and pointed. You can see a stern father telling his young son that he must obey his command. You can see the little eaglet as he is realizing the error of his ways in disobeying his father. Finally, you can see the Savior as the young eaglet cries because of his disobedience.

Given how inexpensive the book is, I would pick up many copies to give to the families in your congregation if you are a pastor or the members of your Sunday School class. Shoot having some on hand to give to your children’s friends would be worth it. I know my children love it and talk about it to their friends.

Coy, Col. Jimmie Dean. Matthew A to Z +2. Mobile: Evergreen Press, 2008. 56 pp. $10.99. Purchase at Amazon.

Coy, Col. Jimmie Dean and Patricia Coy Ragsdell.  The ABC’s of Matthew for Kids. Mobile: Evergreen Press, 2009.  40 pp.  $14.99.  Purchase at Amazon.

Introduction

Col. Coy may be better known for his ministry and book series of the same name–A Gathering of Eagles.  These two books offer a simple and fun way to actually learn the theme of each chapter of the gospel of Matthew using the alphabet.

Review

The creativity in using the alphabet to alliterate the entire gospel of Matthew is impressive.  The +2 is because there are 28 chapters and only 26 letters in the alphabet.  For each letter, the author uses as many words beginning with that particular letter.  For example, the letter A is for ancestry.  An example sentence from that chapter would be, “ANCESTRY from ABRAHAM to Jesus. The ANGEL APPEARED saying, “Don’t be AFRAID AND then ANNOUNCED His ARRIVAL saying, “His name will be Immanuel which means, God with us” (Mt. 1:23). For more examples and the entire alphabet, you can check out the page on his website dedicated to these books.  The children’s book uses the same alliteration technique but uses more pictures than words to describe the chapter.

Recommendation

These two books are great resources for families.  They are fun to “study” during family devotions and worship.  They definitely are an aid in “memorizing” the Gospel of Matthew.  I  recommend both of these books to families and churches.  If you are a children’s minister, the children’s edition gives you 28 weeks worth of lessons!  If you are a family minister, you will find that both parents and children will enjoy learning about the Gospel of Matthew with these books.

NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009. 624 pp. $29.99. Purchase at Amazon.

Introduction

I have reviewed children’s story Bibles in the past (The Children’s Story Bible and The Jesus Storybook Bible) and have found that in recent years, there have been many excellent children’s story Bibles. In 2008, my family alternated between Sally Lloyd-Jones’ The Jesus Storybook Bible and David Helm’s The Big Picture Story Bible. My family is currently working through Catherine Vos’ The Children’s Story Bible and after a year, we are just now getting to the New Testament. Granted, we have not been able to read every night, but it is safe to say that we have read at least five nights a week in 2009. My wife and I have been trying to figure out what our next step ought to be once we finish The Children’s Story Bible. Enter Thomas Nelson’s NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible (NKJV GSB).

Review

Unlike other children’s story Bibles (even the aforementioned Bibles), the NKJV GSB is nothing but actual Scripture. Obviously, it uses the New King James Version as its text. The difference between an “adult” Bible (I use “adult” simply to differentiate between a child’s version and an actual Holy Bible) and this particular children’s Bible is the use of book chapters and titles rather than the current book, chapter, verse system found in all of our Bibles today.

For example, Exodus 15:22-17:7 is titled God Provides for His People in the Wilderness. Joshua being named to lead the Israelites is covered in the chapter Moses’ Successor Named. The New Testament begins with Jesus Before Time (John 1:1-18) and ends with Final Victory (Rev. 22).

The editors brought these stories together in a chronological fashion which is different from a canonical order (the order in which the books and stories appear in your Bible). If there is any criticism to be found it is that there is not much from the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament epistles. However, there is enough to introduce both genres of literature found in the Bible.

Recommendation

I am truly excited about NKJV GSB. While you cannot go wrong with the other children’s story Bibles I have mentioned in this article, the NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible is perhaps the peak of all children’s Bibles. I would recommend starting your children in infancy by reading to them from The Big Picture Story Bible and/or The Jesus Storybook Bible and then advance to The Children’s Story Bible when they are about four or five years old. Once they get to where they are starting to read, I would have them begin reading the NKJV GSB aloud. With these four children’s Bibles, there is truly no excuse for the next generation of children in our churches to be biblically illiterate.  Complete with a presentation page and a ribbon for a place marker, this particular edition of a story Bible makes an excellent transition from Bible stories to Bible doctrine and will certainly help to cultivate a love for God’s Word that has been missing in many homes for some time.

Bradley, Miriam Jones.  The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Missing Watch.  Enumclaw:  WinePress Publishing, 2009.  $11.95.  Purchase at Amazon for $10.16 or less.

Introduction

Miriam Jones Bradley based this story loosely on experiences she and her siblings and cousins had as children. The mystery does come from a true-life event–her great-great-grandpa Jones left home to find work and never returned. She also informs the reader that, “when siblings marry siblings, their children are double cousins-” a fact I personally had never heard of until reading this book. She blogs at doublecousins.wordpress.com.  This is the first book in the series (there are at least four more planned).

Review

The Double Cousins takes place in modern day Nebraska where Max and Carly and Dorie, Chad and Molly spend a summer at their grandparents’ house. Grandpa decides to give the children a mystery to solve while they are on the farm. His grandpa’s twin brother, Zachary, left home at eighteen and was never heard from again. The only clue grandpa has is his grandpa’s pocket watch that matched Zachary’s.

Added to the fun of the mystery, Slim, a homeless man, comes to live on the ranch to give a grandpa during hay season. The children are bound and determined to solve this mystery but have no idea where it will take them. They do learn along the way that even the intrigue of a mystery does not allow them to have a bad attitude or intrude on others. Ultimately, they discover the answers to the mystery and learn valuable lessons about faith and trust and evangelism along the way.

Recommendation

The Double Cousins is a nice, clean read. It is easy to find yourself on the farm with cousins visiting your grandparents. While the mystery is what makes the story move along, there is always the underlying reality of living a life of holiness as a believer in Jesus Christ. On page 83, there is a gospel presentation through conversation and then a real-life depiction of how one may respond to that.

I would recommend this book to any child looking for a good mystery to solve or to any family looking for a good book to read together in the evenings.  You can read more about the book at its website.

Chapman, Jim. Illustrated by Jay Montgomery. The Night After Christmas. Enumclaw: WinePress Publishing, 2009. 21 pp. $19.95. Purchase at Amazon.

Review

The Night Before Christmas is a much loved poem written by Clement Clarke Moore that has captured the hearts of untold millions every Christmas. But, how do we feel about Christmas when all of the festivities go away? That is what the poem The Night After Christmas deals with. I am not going to give away the poem and its meaning, but I will quote from the preface to give you an idea.

The author of The Night After Christmas, Jim Chapman explains that this poem was inspired by Jim Elliot, the martyred missionary. He quotes Jim Elliot from a letter to his wife, Elisabeth, “In some post-holiday correspondence to his wife Elisabeth one year, he summed up his feelings with the following remark: ‘Seems to me we would have a better attitude toward the whole thing if someone would write a realistic poem on the ‘Night After Christmas’ to counterbalance the magical effects of the imaginative “Night Before.””

Jim Chapman does just that. Look closely at the cover of the book. It alone will intrigue you. Note the names of the reindeer: Charge It, Pay Later, Interest Included, Plastic Credit. Note also the trail of receipts blowing behind Santa’s sled.

From the inside flap of the dust jacket we read:

Does Christmas seem like a stressful, unsatisfying ritual? Why do we go through this annual exercise of decorating, shopping, wrapping, and over-spending— only to vow we’re going to do it differently next year? Was Christmas always this way? Or did our culture make it into something it wasn’t meant to be?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, you may well need this book. Christmas does, indeed, offer something more. Obscured beneath the tree, hidden inside the gift wrap, buried under plastic debt lies an enduring enigma that beckons us to reconsider. Somewhere in all the clutter can be found the key to a merry Christmas. For those who take a second look, there awaits a gift that can make every day a holiday.

I highly recommend that this Christmas, you pick up a copy of The Night After Christmas so that you may be able to counterbalance the days and weeks leading up to the day of Christmas.