Questions I Ask of Children's Storybook Bibles

One of my favorite research projects I got to study involved me carrying tote bags of children’s storybook Bibles to coffee shops so I could analyze them. Until that time, I hadn’t put much thought into storybook Bibles at all. But when I started studying them, I realized that they didn’t tell stories the same, they didn’t emphasize the same things, they didn’t use the same language or even tell the same stories. Some differences were extremely minor, but some differences would have a greater impact on how a child would understand the story, Scripture itself, and how to interpret the Bible. 

If the point of reading storybook Bibles to kids is only to educate them on the stories themselves--the beginning, middle, end--then the questions I ask here probably don’t matter. But I believe that these storybook Bibles should do more. They should help provide kids with an understanding of what Scripture is and how to interpret it. It’s not enough for kids to merely know the stories. I want their heart to be engaged with the Word of God and person of God, and storybook Bibles have to be seen as a tool to that end. When I consider a storybook Bible, here are the questions I ask to discern the better tools for the discipleship of children. 

Are the biblical stories reduced to moralistic tales?

Learning to be brave like Daniel or loyal like Jonathan are not bad lessons for children, but Scripture teaches far more than simply giving us good examples for behavior. (And there are a lot of biblical characters that are not meant to be seen as positive examples.) These stories are about displaying something true about who God is and what He does. Just as God is after our hearts, not mere obedience, the stories we teach to children should set them up for this understanding of Scripture. The Bible is not a collection of fables and shouldn’t be interpreted or retold as such. 

So I look to see if these storybook Bibles declare the same truths about who God is that Scripture does. Do these Bibles highlight God and His character, not just presenting characters to emulate?

Is a narrative voice assumed that Scripture doesn't utilize?

Storybook Bibles already “act as Scripture,” and they provide an expectation for how Scripture functions as a written document. Scripture doesn’t speak to us in 2nd person. The biblical authors don’t turn to us and ask, “Now what would you do if you were Jonah?” They don’t conclude a story and say “Now, you too can trust in God like Abraham.” If storybook Bibles are meant to be a tool that helps kids understand how to interpret Scripture itself, it needs to stay within the narrative voice that Scripture itself uses. 

How is the whole biblical narrative represented?

Scripture was intended to be read and understood in light of itself. Jesus identifies the importance of understanding who he is in light of the Law, Prophets, and Writings. (Matt 5:17 & Luke 24:44) In fact the very first verse of the New Testament requires an understanding of the Old Testament, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” The entire Bible is composed of diverse pieces, teaching one unified story. 

However, most storybook Bibles isolate individual stories, teaching one lesson that is disconnected from the whole biblical narrative. How will children be prepared to understand why Abraham was important when they read about Jesus if the storybook Bibles they have read do not accurately demonstrate the unified story? When storybook Bibles present the individual stories in light of the whole narrative, they prepare kids with an understanding that Scripture teaches one unified story and must be read and interpreted in light of itself. 

To retell a story is to interpret that story, and the way it's told changes what it teaches. It's important that how we tell these stories to children teaches the same lessons that Scripture intends for us to get out of it. It’s important that storybook Bibles help provide a foundation for children to understand what Scripture is and how to interpret it correctly. 

Yes, I will be picky to ensure that I provide my kids with the best tools to understand Scripture rightly. Ultimately these questions are about how I think about choosing discipleship tools. I will read a storybook Bible to my kids, as well as Scripture itself, and also other books that help teach truths about who God is and what He does, because that’s who I want them to see when they read the Word of God. 

[The Jesus Storybook Bible is one of the favorites I’ve found. I appreciate how the whole biblical narrative is taught while maintaining the different stories and even diverse genres. I also love The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden. This is not a storybook Bible. It doesn’t act like Scripture, but rather tells the story of Scripture. There is also a The Biggest Story ABC version that is pretty neat. And The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross is also a good one.]

//Alyson Jennie