Children... Gather 'Round!!

100 Bible Stories, 100 Songs by Stephen Elkins, is a book for young children. Its illustrations are engaging, its stories short and simple, its CD’s inviting the listener to sing along. Add in basic Bible lessons and life applications written for a child's viewpoint, and you have a perfect combination for learning and remembering God’s Word.

And what about the grown-ups? What a great teaching tool for families, for teachers, for storytellers, as well as others who would be guiding young readers. Within this book you will find many of your favorite Bible stories. The accompanying music gives you 100 Bible songs to choose from. Use this book as a jumping off place for planning lessons, skits, puppets programs, storytime, or any other type of get-together group, be it for children or in a multigenerational setting.

On the downside is the mix-up in CD track-titles and their coordination with the matching stories. It’s really too bad this error was not caught before production plans were finalized. But you spending some time beforehand, locating the tracks for specific songs that you want to use, will insure that you have a smooth execution of all your storytelling plans.

[Thank you to Thomas Nelson and their Book Review Blogger Program.]

The American Patriot’s Bible, NKJV

The American Patriot’s Bible, NKJV, edited by Dr. Richard G. Lee, and published by Thomas Nelson.

This is a beautiful New King James Version of the Holy Bible. Its large print, softly tinted pages, and colorful illustrations make reading the Scriptures easy on the eyes. At the very front of the book, the publishers have provided numerous pages for recording your own family’s history. At the back you can check out the Subject Index, look up information in the Concordance, and study the Bible Maps.

But there’s more, for as I leaf through these pages, I find pieces of Americana, facts about our country and its great leaders, inclusion of patriotic songs and poems, and basically important details not often included in secular history books.

Here the connections are made, illustrating the close tie between the faith of our forefathers and the growth of our country. Here we can read about Christianity in the colonies, the church leaders who influenced the shaping of America, the very beginnings of an educational system that based its teachings on the Bible, and so much more. Here we see the Scriptures and America moving forward together.

But, though this is a great addition to anyone’s library, it should not be the only Bible represented in your book collection. Why? Because this edition has focused so closely on America’s history and the influence of God’s Word in that history, it would almost exclude those readers who are not part of America. It would be easy for some to see this book as only for Americans.

So, I’ll read this edition of the Bible and enjoy its historical aspects, but it will have a place on my shelf next to other versions of God’s Word. I’ll read this book as well as others to study and learn more. And in that study I’ll be reminded that the Bible is for everyone, no matter what country they call home.

[Thank you to Thomas Nelson and their Book Review Blogger Program.]