By Kevin DeYoung
The whole Bible told as one sweeping, slightly cheeky adventure story, with striking modern art, for a child who's ready for more than a story-a-page bible.
Kevin DeYoung tells the entire Bible as a single grand adventure, from the garden lost to the garden restored, with a playful, knowing narrator's voice that talks straight to the child and doesn't mind a bit of humor. It's pitched a notch older than the toddler bibles: longer stretches of text, a real narrative pull, and the recurring idea of a promised 'snake crusher' who will set everything right. Don Clark's illustrations are the showpiece, bold, stylized, almost graphic-design modern, unlike anything else on this shelf.
This is the step up for a child who has outgrown the point-and-name bibles and wants a real story with momentum. It carries the same whole-Bible arc as the simpler ones but with more text, more wit, and a running thread, the promised snake crusher, that keeps a five-to-ten-year-old leaning in to see how it pays off. The daring artwork makes it feel current and cool rather than churchy. A great pick for the older child on this shelf, or a family that wants one book to read together over many nights.