The Lion Bible: Everlasting Stories; The Kingfisher Children's Bible

At a point in time when research indicates that fewer and fewer children (and their parents!) know the stories of the Bible, especially those outside of the Gospels, it is good to have two well-produced books of Bible stories, which will greatly assist those who read stories to children. A great deal of thought and care have been put into their production in large format, on high quality paper, with profuse illustrations.

But one book is far superior to the other; the Kingfisher beats the Lion all the way except in price (it costs 5 more) but it is well worth paying the extra. The scope of the stories is greater in The Kingfisher Children's Bible, where they go beyond the usual ones. It includes stories of people like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel and even Job, and it gives excerpts from the Psalms and Proverbs as well. In the New Testament the stories do not end on the Day of Pentecost (as in The Lion Bible) but they go on to tell some of the stories of St Paul, even including extracts from some of his letters, and amazingly in a child's book, an extract from the Book of Revelation. The stories are told straightforwardly without childishness or inaccuracy. Pharaoh never was 'playing with a kitten, dangling a ball on a piece of string', when Moses and Aaron went to interview him about the coming (Passover) crisis. Jesus didn't die after saying 'My God... why did you abandon me?' but triumphantly, 'It is finished.'

The pictures are modern and almost symbolic in the Lion book; historically accurate and realistic in Kingfisher. And while Lion adds an Index of Bible People, Kingfisher's reference section goes well beyond a 'Who's Who?' to include background articles, a glossary and brief analysis of each Bible book.