*The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids was sent to me by Bible Gateway in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The following is my own personal opinion of this Bible which was not influenced by Bible Gateway in any way.

The first thing I noticed was the appeal.  The outer cover of this Bible is super cute.  This one is a hardcover version with colorful representations of Bible stories all over the outside cover:  baby Moses in a basket, the parting waters, the burning bush, the ten commandments, a big fish (a whale actually in this illustration), a little carpenter boy helping his father build something (assumed to be Jesus and and his earthly father, Joseph), just to name a few.  On the back cover, children will probably notice a big boat sitting on top of a mountain with a rainbow over it.  

The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids

The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids is a full Bible for children.  It's not a merely a children's book containing a few summaries of a few popular Bible stories.  According to Zondervan, it is written at the 3rd grade level but is recommended for children between 4 and 8 years old.  It is written in the new NIrV version which is a variation of the NIV version for adults.  The text is simplified from the NIV version to make it easier for children to read and understand on their own.  You can learn more about the NIrV version of the Bible for children here at Bible Gateway.

The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids - Table of Contents

Whenever I come across a new translation or paraphrase of the Bible, I'm concerned about the accuracy of the content.  I want a Bible that is translated as close to the original manuscripts as possible but written in a language I can understand.  I want no less for my children.

I only have a small window of time to post a review of a book once it is sent to me so there is no way I can read an entire Bible before I post a review.  I certainly don't have the time to compare it verse by verse from Genesis to Revelation with other translations.  However, I did look up several verses that relate to current cultural trends to make sure that those verses remained in line with translations I use and trust such as my adult NASB, NIV, and my ESV Bibles.  As far as I can tell, the NIrV translation is a good translation for the age group for which it is intended.  

The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids is written so that chapters and verses are written like sub-headings to sections of the passages.  Children won't be distracted by numbers and footnotes within the text of the stories.  It is written in a single column format which is more natural for children to read.  The font is a child friendly font which is both easy and fun to read. The illustrations are colorful and appealing and there are over 750 full color images. You can see all these points in the two page spread above.  I love that many pages in this Bible have enough white space available for children to write their own notes.

There's a bonus.  As I was typing up this review, I discovered a treat tucked into the back cover sleeve.  I found a poster.

On one side of the poster is a map.  Children can use the map to trace journeys and find the places they read about in the Bible.

On the other side of the poster is a Bible Family Tree.  Children can trace a summarized genealogy family line from Adam and Eve to Jesus.  I loved this because I've recently been tracing genealogies as I read through the Bible in chronological order in my Coloring Through the Bible Series using my Beautiful Word Coloring Bible.

I found a short video about this Bible for you to enjoy.  :)

If my own kids were still young, this is a Bible I would love for them to read.  It's a great addition to your child's library even if he or she already has a Bible at home.

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