Our Favorite Bible Story Books

Before giving these suggestions, I'd just like to say that no matter what Bible story book you choose for your child, always always read it with a critical eye because very few are 100% accurate. Be ready to change the text when reading to a younger child or discuss the inaccuracies with an older child. Without further adieu, here are our favorite Bible Story Books for children...

"Mrs. Lee's Stories About God's First People" and "Mrs. Lee's Stories About Jesus"... Although these two books are harder to find a copy of, both of them are great bible story books and worth it even if you have to look around to find a copy. She tells the stories accurately, (That's saying a LOT! I think these are the only books I've found that didn't need any altering to be true to the text.) in a language easily understood by children without dumbing them down. I love both of these books! They're very, very minimal on illustrations though, so they wouldn't work as a VERY first bible story book, but we started using it around age three as our boys were able to listen to a short story without pictures. I just wish she had more books to cover the rest of the bible- these two basically cover Genesis and Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
*UPDATE: Mrs. Lee's books are now available for purchase either individually or as a set HERE! 

The Big Picture Story Bible... Instead of presenting a collection of stories, this book weaves the stories together- going into detail when needed and skipping details and stories altogether in other places, in order to present the Bible in a way that I've never seen it presented to children before... as one continuous story of God's big plan for His people, from beginning to end. I wouldn't use this book alone, as your only Bible story book, because as I said, you'll miss many stories. But I love having it, and I think it's a treasure when it comes to teaching children- small and big alike- the "big picture" of the Bible. Illustrations are abundant and colorful, which should help keep the attention of younger ones.

Children's Illustrated Bible... This is a really nice Bible Story book when your children are ready to move "up" from the previous ones I've mentioned. It requires a longer attention span than the previous books I listed and I'm thinking it would be good all through the elementary years. My Mom gave it to us because it's one of her favorites, and the stories are mostly accurate (not completely- but by the time you're reading this book with your child, they're old enough for you to begin discussing that we must carefully compare something man has written with the true standard before accepting it, and there will be places throughout this book to do so as you correct the text as necessary.) It's got a lot of neat, life-like illustrations as well as photos of real geological finds and other extras in the side margins about the time and culture surrounding the story. It does have some graphic illustrations, so obviously you'll want to review it yourself before deciding if it's age-appropriate for your child. (FYI: I linked to the 8x10" version of this book; there's also a mini version available but do NOT get it because the print will be way too small!)

Another post you may be interested in is Stick Figuring Through the Bible, which is a great way for children to begin making their first bible timeline.