Read'n Grow Picture Bible

From SPARK

One-sentence summary

This is a picture bible that brings to life the drama and message of favorite Bible stories from creation to Revelation in a way children can understand and adults can appreciate. (Also known as Read 'n Grow Picture Bible, Read and Grow Picture Bible, and Read-n-Grow Picture Bible.)

Description

The Read’n Grow Picture Bible gives a wonderful overview of the Bible. There are 156 stories from the Bible that go from creation to Revelation. Each story is presented on two pages with 12 pictures arranged in a comic book style with short, two to three sentence scripts under each illustration that convey the main points of the stories in a concise and accurate way. The illustrations are high quality, generally accurate, and very realistic. They bring to life the drama and message of the stories.

Considerations

Libby Weed, the editor, and Jim Padgett, the illustrator, have created a picture Bible that gives a relatively thorough overview of the whole Bible. The concise text does a good job in accurately paraphrasing the stories. The illustrations are realistic, seriously supporting the reality of the stories and bringing them to life. It offers the reader an accurate view of the culture and a good summary of the major points of the Bible from Genesis (creation) to Revelation.

Limitations

Some potential limitations are the following:

• The illustrations were painted as windows of scenes, resulting in many pictures that only show a portion of the body of people (the borders cutting off the view of the other body parts). This might be a problem for using them for storytelling in some cultures.
• Some pictures show what people are thinking or dreaming in a cloud-like drawing, which might be puzzling to readers from certain cultures.
• Early illustrations with Adam and Eve are too Caucasian looking. This is less evident in the later illustrations.
• The partial face shown of the serpent speaking to Eve is a little weird.
• Cain seems to be cutting wheat with a metal sickle in one illustration.
• Noah’s ark is way too small in one illustration.
• The large cherubim in the Holy of Holies of the temple look like Egyptian sphinx.

Guidelines for Use

This book is accurate, readable, and ideal for giving children or new English readers an overview of the Bible. The illustrations can also be used in telling the stories to small groups of non-readers.

Where to Obtain

Link to Producer or Source Organization

Sweet Publishing and Gospel Light

Cost

$9 (February '08).

Producer/Owners

Author/Artist/Producer

Edited by Libby Weed and illustrations by Jim Padgett

Current copyright owner

Sweet Publishing, Fort Worth, TX, and Gospel Light, Ventura, CA.

Other Information

Also order from Amazon.com

Reviewed by

Vernon W.

Date

March 2008