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The Big Picture Story Bible | 
 enlarge | Author: David Helm
Creator: Gail Schoonmaker
Publisher: Crossway Books
Category: Book
List Price: $22.99
Buy New: $15.63
You Save: $7.36 (32%)
New (20) Used (9) from $14.99
Rating:  47 reviews
Sales Rank: 8890
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Pages: 456
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.6
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 9.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 1581342772
Dewey Decimal Number: 220.9505
EAN: 9781581342772
ASIN: 1581342772
Publication Date: September 17, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Rather than simply retelling the most familiar short scenes from the Bible, this book presents the big picture the unified story running through the Old and New Testaments. This delightful book will help children learn the Bible s whole story and begin to appreciate the fulfillment of God's promise to his people.
The Big Picture Bible Story Book is perfect for parents to read to their children, and eventually, for children to read on their own. It is an excellent way to introduce them to a book that will guide them through all of life.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 42 more reviews...
 Did not like this Bible...AT ALL January 2, 2009
BRTIVA (USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was so excited to get this Bible for my kids, given all the excellent reviews. I've been searching for a really good children's Bible and kept being disappointed. I was sure this would be the one for us. Boy was I wrong! I am a very conservative Christian and I just didn't see this Bible giving an accurate account of the stories. It seemed to have a very "interpretive" spin on them. One I didn't think was accurate or appropriate. I was really disappointed, to say the least. I did, very much, feel like a lot of the stories emphasized God's "punishment" of people. While I believe strongly in discipline, and believe that "God chastens those whom He loves," I do not think the theme of "punishment," which I thought was pretty blatant in this Bible, was doing God's word justice at all. Yes, there is eternal punishment, and the Bible teaches that, but it is not what is being taught in this Bible. Further, the themes of love, redemption, grace, etc are too subtle to really be enjoyed, much less even seen by children. For instance, this Bible says that God kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden to "punish" them. This is interpretive. It was not a punishment, it was a disciplinary measure to help them see their sin and their need for God. It was to teach them what life is like without God, and realize how they had been wrong. Further, it was to protect them--God did not want them to eat from the Tree of Life, and "live forever." I interpret that to mean, as in a mortal life, in their sinful state. God, in His *mercy," protected them from eating from that Tree, which would have been far worse since they were in a fallen state. I know that is *my* interpretation, but the "punishment" theory in this Bible is also interpretive. It would have been much better to simply leave out the interpretation, and just tell the story.
In addition to this, I found some of the stories to be awkward in the way they were told, seeming like they were abrupt in their endings. Some of them just didn't seem to flow very well, and I felt as though I needed to ad-lib a bit so they made sense and stayed true to the actual Bible Story. I found this pretty frustrating.
I have the "Read and See" Bible (Stephen Elkins) also and I think the stories there are much better. I plan to purchase the "Word and Song" Bible (also Stephen Elkins) which is extremely similar to the Read and See, but contains more stories (I think it contains at least one from every single book of the Bible, but I am not positive). I also have some of the "Greatest Bible Stories ever Told" series, (also Stephen Elkins--stories are the same as the Word and Song Bible) and find those to be far more accurate and less interpretive than this Big Picture Bible.
On the whole, this is one of the worst Kid's Bible purchases I have made. I learned my lesson and now try to get a copy to look at for myself before purchasing a book.
Illustrations as well as text SO BIBLICAL and well researched! December 18, 2008
momof3
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a mom of a 4 year old, 3 year old, and 3 month old, I don't have as much time as I'd like to list ALL of the amazing things about this story-Bible. But, WOW - I read the whole thing through in one sitting when I first bought it - and had goosebumps.
This book really gives children a glimpse of the "bigness" of God's story.
BEAUTIFUL illustrations. emotion-evoking. wow.
Best children's Bible story book! November 23, 2008
Stephen Wesner (Indiana)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The title says it all! This book tells the "Big Picture" story of the Bible. It uses different narrative stories to outline a Biblical theology. It is builds general, but very solid foundation for understanding God's work through biblical history!
Great kids bible! November 16, 2008
annaboog (chicago, il)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This Bible was recommended to us by our Pastor. It is a great Bible to read to your kids because it explains in kid friendly language and illustrations God's redemptive plan through Scripture. It is also a very accurate and God centered/honoring Bible for kids...it has been great for my daily Bible reading time with my 3 (& even 9) yr old girls.
It has also been very useful for our Sunday school classes for young children that is currently going through John Piper's young children curriculum. It is one of the few (if not the only) Bibles that we can use in conjunction with the curriculum because he encourages the teacher to paraphrase/retell/rewrite Scripture to ensure that it is God centered and age appropriate for the younger kids to understand along with the lessons---THANK YOU for writing/creating such a wonderful Bible!
A Tremendous Addition to Your Child's Library October 20, 2008
Trevin Wax
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Congratulations go to author David Helm, illustrator Gail Schoonmaker and the good people at Crossway Books for putting out a book that I have read more than fifteen times this year!
If I could pick only one story Bible for my children,The BIg Picture Story Bible would be the one.
Other Bible story books turn Old Testament stories into moralistic lessons. Joseph? Share your toys. Daniel? Stand up for Jesus. David? Be courageous. If these moralisms are your idea of a children's Bible, you probably won't like The Big PIcture Story Bible.
But if you are like me and you have long hoped for a book that teaches children the biblical story from Creation to New Creation - a book that anticipates Jesus in the Old Testament and makes his crucifixion and resurrection the proper climax of the New Testament - then this book is for you.
This book is pure gold. Even the illustrations convey a message. The artist thoughtfully and strategically places a "star" upon God's chosen representative, from Abraham to Isaac, from Jacob to David and Solomon. There are future glimpses of Jesus throughout the Old Testament.
The story itself contains one central plot aim: "God's people in God's place under God's rule." This theme provides direction for every story in the book.
The Bible stories are told creatively. Take for instance the preface to Jesus' birth:
Caesar, the Roman ruler, the king of the whole Roman world, began counting all his people to show everyone how great he was. What Caesar did not know was that... God, the world's true ruler, the king of the universe, was getting ready to show everyone how great he was. And do you know how God was going to do this? Not like Caesar... not proudly, by counting all his people, but humbly, by becoming one of his people.
Some stories might be more abbreviated than you expect. (David and Goliath receives two pages within a longer passage about how God keeps his promises to his people. The prophet Daniel is only mentioned in the context of his prayers for the Messiah.) But whereas some of the excitement of individual stories gets left out, the growing anticipation of God's people being under God's rule more than compensates.
The Big Picture Story Bible does not shy away from theology. Of course, theological concepts are kept simple for children, but the author takes great care in pointing to Jesus through the Exodus, the kings, the prophets - reaching back to past events to fill in the meaning of the atonement. All of the stories ultimately point ahead to Jesus.
I fully expect that The Big Picture Story Bible will one day be considered a classic Storybook for children. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Our son loves it, and we do too. It has been a tremendous addition to our library.
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