Adventure Bible for Young Readers, NIrV, The

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Children's Bibles!
Review: "Mom, do I HAVE to read the Bible?" Many parents have heard that question more than once. Why? Because until recently, there have been few Bibles that invoke the curiosity of children as this Bible has.

I am a Children's Ministry Director from the state of Washington, and have had the privilege to work with children for about five years now. One of the greatest things that breaks my heart is to see a child not interested in one of the greatest books of all-time: the Bible. Many children will not bring a Bible to church for one of two reasons: they either don't have one, or the one they have is too difficult for them to understand.

The Adventure Bible for Young Readers is not only phrased in such a way that children can understand it, but it is visually appealing to children ages 6 to 12. I purchased this Bible a little over a month ago, and even I can't put it down! It's easy to understand and fun to read! The NIrV has become the standard I use for teaching kids (ages first through sixth grades).

If your child enjoys reading their current Bible as much as they enjoy taking medicine, then this Bible is a must-have for your household!

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Children's Bibles!
Review: "Mom, do I HAVE to read the Bible?" Many parents have heard that question more than once. Why? Because until recently, there have been few Bibles that invoke the curiosity of children as this Bible has.

I am a Children's Ministry Director from the state of Washington, and have had the privilege to work with children for about five years now. One of the greatest things that breaks my heart is to see a child not interested in one of the greatest books of all-time: the Bible. Many children will not bring a Bible to church for one of two reasons: they either don't have one, or the one they have is too difficult for them to understand.

The Adventure Bible for Young Readers is not only phrased in such a way that children can understand it, but it is visually appealing to children ages 6 to 12. I purchased this Bible a little over a month ago, and even I can't put it down! It's easy to understand and fun to read! The NIrV has become the standard I use for teaching kids (ages first through sixth grades).

If your child enjoys reading their current Bible as much as they enjoy taking medicine, then this Bible is a must-have for your household!

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Children's Bibles!
Review: "Mom, do I HAVE to read the Bible?" Many parents have heard that question more than once. Why? Because until recently, there have been few Bibles that invoke the curiosity of children as this Bible has.

I am a Children's Ministry Director from the state of Washington, and have had the privilege to work with children for about five years now. One of the greatest things that breaks my heart is to see a child not interested in one of the greatest books of all-time: the Bible. Many children will not bring a Bible to church for one of two reasons: they either don't have one, or the one they have is too difficult for them to understand.

The Adventure Bible for Young Readers is not only phrased in such a way that children can understand it, but it is visually appealing to children ages 6 to 12. I purchased this Bible a little over a month ago, and even I can't put it down! It's easy to understand and fun to read! The NIrV has become the standard I use for teaching kids (ages first through sixth grades).

If your child enjoys reading their current Bible as much as they enjoy taking medicine, then this Bible is a must-have for your household!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was very disappointed with the Adventure Bible for Young Readers. I purchased them for use in Sunday school, and I had to return them. Although the translation is acceptable, the "helps," "blurbs," and editorial comments were filled with misinformation and theological interpretations inconsistent with our church's theology. This Bible could probably be used in a church that is extremely conservative, but in my opinion mainstream churches will not find it palatable.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was very disappointed with the Adventure Bible for Young Readers. I purchased them for use in Sunday school, and I had to return them. Although the translation is acceptable, the "helps," "blurbs," and editorial comments were filled with misinformation and theological interpretations inconsistent with our church's theology. This Bible could probably be used in a church that is extremely conservative, but in my opinion mainstream churches will not find it palatable.

Rating:
Summary: Full-Color Illustrations? Where?
Review: One of the main reasons we bought this Bible for our son, besides the fact that he needed a version he could read on his own, was because the jacket advertized "full-color illustrations". But this is not true. The illustrations are two-color ink, and the text is typed in a mint green---not easy on the eyes! We ended up returning this Bible to the store for a more kid-friendly Bible.

Rating:
Summary: Full-Color Illustrations? Where?
Review: One of the main reasons we bought this Bible for our son, besides the fact that he needed a version he could read on his own, was because the jacket advertized "full-color illustrations". But this is not true. The illustrations are two-color ink, and the text is typed in a mint green---not easy on the eyes! We ended up returning this Bible to the store for a more kid-friendly Bible.

Rating:
Summary: May not be appropriate for all denominations
Review: Providing a Bible translation for young readers is a great idea. Like most "study Bibles," however, this one contains supplemental material which is based upon the editors' beliefs and may or may not agree with a particular view of Scripture-- usually not a problem, because comparing your own beliefs and someone else's with what God has actually said can help you grow-- but for the young children that are the intended audience here, this edition may be a source of confusion. Critical thinking is generally not a skill common to a 6-10 year old child. Finding a lack of agreement between what he has been taught and what he has read can be disturbing. For example, if you have been taught that baptism is an immersion in water, an act of obedience to God, for the remission of sins, you might be disturbed to find this definition for baptism in the glossary of this Bible: "to sprinkle, pour or cover a person with water as a sign that the person belongs to Jesus Christ." For many denominations, of course, such a definition makes perfect sense, but since not every point of doctrine is the same for every group, it would be a good idea to know what you're giving to your child.

This edition, by the way, was not produced by the NIV committee-- some of the same members worked on it, but not all. That may be the reason why some of the words added to the actual text (in an attempt to clarify ideas for young readers) may bear subtle bias or even be confusing in themselves. In one place, part of I John 4:7 was changed from "he who loves is born of God," to "anyone who loves is born again because of what God has done." I'm not quite sure that's the same idea... but I could be wrong.

Overall, of course, this book is great for kids who want to learn from the real Bible by reading it themselves, and not just from some illustrated storybook. Before you buy it for your own child, however, you might to do as the Bereans did in Acts 17, and "examine the Scriptures" for yourself to see if what the editors have added to the text has not added to or taken away from the truth.