You like that title? I was hoping to get a little more of the word “story” in there but couldn’t quite figure it out…
Anywhoo. Today, I’ve got five (or nine if you wanna get technical) books for you. Yes, I may be four days behind on this series but this is one post with almost ten books. Holy smokes, who do I think I am?!
These are the books that are really just one story. One little story taken from the Bible turned into a picture book, easy reader and the like. Some of them are not from Christian publishing companies and I have no idea about the author. But I think they are great supplements to your reading–especially if your kids are really into a specific Bible story.
Here we go…
Our Very Favorite Stand Alone Bible Stories Story Books
1. Noah’s Ark by Peter Spier
Wow. This book is amazing. I think it may have about 4 words of text. The rest of it is crazy detailed illustrations of Noah’s ark. I mean, imagine it. Every single animal? In a boat? Bugs, birds, elephants, alligators and more. This is the type of book you could sit with for a half an hour and still not discover all the details. It’s one of our favorites!
2. Thank You, Jesus by Mary Manz Simon (illustrated by Dennis Jones)
This is part of a series for new readers illustrated by Dennis Jones (who you know I love). This series is different from Dennis Jones’ I Can Read series and tells the story in only 20 words— so there is lots of repetition!
We also have Through the Roof which is the story of the 4 friends and the paralyzed man. Like I said, there’s not a lot of text, but the simplicity and detailed illustrations, make these constant reads in our house.
3. Elephant’s Big Ride (and Noah’s Stormy Adventure)
This is a giant board book from the Beginner’s Bible family of books. I have to say I’m not a big fan of the Beginner’s Bible–the illustrations are cheesy and the stories are stripped of much power or depth. (There are a billion versions of these storybooks, so I haven’t read all of them!) But for some reason, my kids have loved loved loved this book ever since they were babies. I wrote a whole post about how to read this book aloud.
4. The Nineteenth of Maquerk by Aaron Reynolds
OK, this might be a stretch. This is a fictional parable (I guess all parables are fiction, aren’t they?)…maybe fantastical would be a better word. This is a fantastical parable based on Proverbs 13:4. I always have people asking me about books for kids that focus on the wisdom of Proverbs—and this is the only series I’ve found!
This one is a Dr. Suess-inspired story about two catterpillows—one who works hard and one who doesn’t. There is great teaching, actual Scripture and even Parent-family-follow -up at the end. If I remember correctly, these books were written to go along with some curriculum for the children’s ministry at Willow Creek, which tells me it was really designed to instruct children.
There are two more books in this series which I’ve never bought (looks like they are out of print except Kindle version) but I’m always on the lookout for them!
5. Peek-a-Bible
When my kids were little they loved lift-the-flap books. These Peek-a-Bible books are basic Bible stories mixed with a little humor and fun flaps for little hands to lift. We have several of them, but now, it looks like they are all in one big edition! Our favorite is the Lost Sheep–my kids laugh and laugh at that little lost lamb.
Do you have a favorite Bible story picture book to add? Let me know in the comments!
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I like The Real Story of the Exodus by Paul L. Maier. It’s beautifully illustrated, tells the story well, and at the end, in the epilogue, it makes the connection between Moses and Jesus.
I can’t wait to try these! My kids loved at first the Read-Aloud Bible Stories by Ella K. Lindvall. Now we are devouring Brian Wildsmith’s books. The pictures are so great! Hope you are having fun at Allume–wait, I know you are having fun!