A first Bible storybook

PreS-Gr 3-With her charming British accent and pleasant contralto voice, Diane Louise Jordan does a magnificent job of reading these simplified Bible stories for young children. A First Bible Story Book (DK, 1997), contains seven Old Testament and six New Testament stories, retold by Mary Hoffman: "God Makes the World," "Noah's Ark," "Abraham and His Family," "Joseph and His Rainbow Coat," "Moses in the Bulrushes," "Daniel in the Lion's Den," "Jonah and the Big Fish," "The First Christmas," "The Three Wise Men," "Jesus Is Lost and Found," "Five Thousand Hungry People," "The Last Supper," and "The First Easter." The basic plot and characters of each story are retained, including some of the more frightening scenes such as the near-sacrifice of Isaac by his father Abraham, and the eating of Daniel's accusers by the lions in the den. Other stories omit some details; for example, the seduction of Joseph by Potiphar's wife has been omitted. The book is illustrated with charming watercolors by Julie Downing. The only sections in the book which are not read on the recording are the Introduction and the "Who's Who in the Bible Stories" at the end. This is a fine introduction to Bible stories for young children and a well-done mixed-media product.-Beverly Bixler, San Antonio Public Library, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Small watercolor vignettes set on a white background illustrate thirteen familiar stories from the Old and New Testaments, including Noah's Ark, Daniel in the lions' den, the Nativity, and the Resurrection. Read aloud, the well-written text is simple enough to be understood by preschoolers. From HORN BOOK Fall 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.