Finding a good Bible picture book can be hard, but it’s even harder if you’re looking for one without images of Jesus – one that doesn’t break the second commandment. I have spent a good amount of time trying to find such Bible picture books. Below is a list of all my favorite Bible picture books without images of Jesus, plus a brief description.
Follow Me: Bible Stories for Young Children by Liesbeth van Binsbergen
This one is my favorite! Each story is between three to four pages long, and has a full-page illustration. I would recommend this for children four and up. There are 116 stories, and each story has a couple of discussion questions. My only complaint about this book is the story of Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar. King Nebuchadnezzar claims he forgot his dream, but the Bible didn’t say he forgot his dream.
Read-Aloud Bible Stories by Ella K.Lindvall
Technically these books walk the line with showing pictures of Jesus. There are pictures of Jesus where he is far away with his disciples, but his face is never drawn. Also, some pictures feature the back of his head as he speaks to people. Despite that, we still use these books.
These books are great for two and three-year olds. Lindvall has written a number of volumes, and each volume has five stories. The grammatical syntax is very simple, and every other page has about two of three sentences. The word choice is appropriate and engaging for small children. There’s also a summary and an application at the end of each story. My boys really liked these books when they were younger. Currently, my three-year old daughter loves these books and asks for them every morning.
The Christian Focus Story Bible by Carine MacKenzie
What I like about this Bible storybook is the format. One page has a story that is between three to four paragraphs, while the other page has an illustration of the story, a sentence that tells the main idea, and an application that is at a child’s level. The application portion is simple enough for an early reader to read aloud. This Bible storybook is great for ages 4 and up, and contains 75 Bible stories.
365 Great Bible Stories by Carine MacKenzie
I am currently reading this book to my children each morning at breakfast, and I haven’t finished it yet. What I like about this book is that it includes more obscure Bible stories, such as Sisera and Jael. Since this book is designed to last a year, some of the stories are broken up and last a few days. Each story is on one page and contains about three-seven paragraphs. There’s a short application after each Bible story. You can read straight through, or you can read by topics. There are pictures to indicate the theme. For example, a story with a picture of a dove indicates that the story is about the Holy Spirit.
I appreciate that the stories are manageable to do in a short amount of time, and that the book lasts a year (even a leap year). The illustrations are not my favorite because they don’t always illustrate the specific story.
Little Hands Story Bible by Carine Mackenzie
This book has short Bible stories along with full-page illustrations. It contains 142 stories. There’s also the option to read Scripture aloud. Some of the suggested Scripture passages are long, but I think the reader can figure out what amount of Scripture is appropriate for their child. There questions at the end – one that goes back to the main idea of the Bible story and one that refers back to the illustration. Lastly, there’s a short application. What I like about this book is that it’s geared for different ages. You can read the short Bible story for a younger child, but you could read the Scripture aloud for an older child.
The New Children’s Bible by Anne de Vries
After I finish reading 365 Great Bible Stories, I am going to move onto to The New Children’s Bible. This book is good for older kids who are five and up. The Bible stories are different lengths. Some are eight pages while others are two pages. There are small illustrations on the sides of each page. There are no questions after each story. My plan is to stop and ask questions and discuss topics as we read. There are one hundred Bible stories that each include a portion of Scripture you could read aloud.
I hope this list is helpful for choosing a Bible picture books that is right for your children.