*Bible Review: ESV Children’s Bible

*ESV Children’s Bible.  Crossway, 2008, 1648 pages.  

Reading level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10.

Recommended for: ages 6-10

Bottom Line: The ESV contains excellent study helps, including over 200 full-color illustrations of exceptional quality and relevance.

Geared toward a slightly young age group than the ESV Grow!, this Bible has verse and chapter numbers in red to make them easier to find.  Introductory material includes What the Bible Says About Itself (scripture passages) and How to Use the Bible, with information on how the the scriptures are arranged and how to look up a passage.  Except for brief book introductions (not especially child-friendly), there are no in-text features other than the illustrations.

This illustrations deserve their own paragraph.  In most children’s Bibles illustrations are supplementary, often printed on glossy paper and bound into the text separately from the story they represent, and the quality may not be the best.  In the ESV Children’s Bible, the pictures are of exceptional quality, printed on the relevant page, and regarded as actual study helps.  Page xiii of the preface even offers tips on how to use them.  Each of the pictures is captioned with a title and a key verse from the relevant passage, but that’s not all: almost all of them include a verse from another part of scripture that supplements and expands the teaching.  For instance, the picture of the serpent tempting Eve quotes not only Genesis 3:4 but also John 8:44: “He was a murder from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.”  This is a direct, graphic way to show the unity of scripture.  (Note: Jesus is pictured frequently in the gospel section.)  The appendix includes age-appropriate theological notes on such subjects as God’s attributes, God’s promises, the Gospel, theological terms like Salvation and Sanctification, how to study the Bible, how to pray, and tips on memorization with 48 “Fighter Verses” to memorize.  If much of this material is over the heads of the average 6 year-old, it at least provides a useful outline for parents.  One complaint about this Bible is that the pages are thinner than some and hard to turn.  Otherwise it’s  a great choice for younger kids.  If you purchase one, you might consider a more neutral cover than the Jesus-with-Children cover pictured here–kids may well want to use it well into their early teens!

Overall Rating: 5  (out of 5)

Readers, this is one of our top recommendations for children’s Bibles. Get your FREE Guide to the Best Bibles for Children and Teens to see the rest!