Bible Review: KJV Kids’ Study Bible

KJV Kids’ Study Bible.  Zonderkidz, 2001.  1600 pages

Reading level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 (for study features)

Recommended for: ages 8-12

Bottom Line: Child-friendly activities and line drawings help make the Authorized Version accessible for 4th-5th graders.

The colorful Noah’s Ark cover (in the edition I reviewed) will appeal to the lower ages of this range but 12-year-olds may think it’s babyish–other covers are available, of course.  Type is 9-10 point.  One-page chapter introductions in a Who-What-When-Where q&a format communicate the author, purpose, setting, historical time, and main stories or themes.  Line drawings and diagrams scattered throughout the text clarify concepts like the size of the ark and plan of the temple.  In-text features include key verses as well as Do you Know? Bible facts and clarifications, and sidebars about Life in Bible Times.  The Let’s Live It! boxes contain review questions, applications, even games and family activities.  These all seem helpful, especially in frustrating books like Leviticus.  The activities are indexed in the back, along with 8 full-color maps and a “Dictionary/Concordance.” (A lot of children’s Bibles have these; they just look like dictionaries to me.)  The downside for some may be the King James translation: a 10^th grade reading level in a Bible for kids may not make a lot of sense, but if the KJV is your version of choice, this works.

Overall Rating: 4 (out of 5)

Categories: Christian, Bibles and Bible Stories, Middle Grades

Cover image from amazon.com