My Sing-Along Bible by Stephen Elkins

My Sing-Along Bible by Stephen Elkins features 50 Bible stories and a music cd with a coordinating song for each story. Each page spread contains a section of a Bible story with illustrations complementing the story. Below that is a Scripture verse and the chorus to the corresponding song. Finally, a “Little Lesson” section offers a single-sentence synopsis of the story.

I'm not sure what the recommended age group for My Sing-Along Bible is, but my three year old enjoys it. We received this book a week or two ago which is typically long enough for her to have lost interest in a book. However, she still likes to look through this one and occasionally asks me to read it to her. What she really loves is the cd of Bible songs. We listen to it multiple times a day. After the opening song on the cd, I thought it was going to drive me crazy b/c the chorus to that one was extremely repetitive. But, it turned out that I liked many of the remaining songs and she loves them all. Repetition does not bother my three year old.

The content is in line with Scripture as far as I can tell. I recommend My Sing-Along Bible by Stephen Elkins to parents of children ages 2-5 – again, I'm not sure what the publisher's recommended age group is. It's a good to book to just sit and read to your child during the day. It's also versatile enough that it could serve a bedtime story book with you choosing how many stories to read based on how long story time is.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Bible Stories that End with a Hug

Bible Stories that End with a Hug, created by Stephen Elkins and illustrated by Simon Taylor-Kielty, teaches Biblical truths and practical spiritual lessons in simple terms for young children. Each page spread is devoted to one spiritual teaching or Bible story. The spread includes a Bible verse, an example story from the Bible, a small section about what can be learned from the story and the final “hug time” sidebar that says something like: “Give the one who shows kindness.... a great big hug!” (Kindness begins with me would be the theme addressed here.) Content-wise, there are 75 Bible stories and the book covers the major stories as well as many minor ones. There is not actually a page devoted to Jesus' death, although it is mentioned on other pages. I can understand why that would be hard to illustrate in a way appropriate for young readers, but I do think that perhaps more importance should have been placed on it.

I enjoyed reading Bible Stories that End with a Hug to my daughter. Although she's still too young to understand the words being said, she did like to look at the drawings. She also enjoyed the hug parts as evidenced by her smiles and laughter. We'd read a page and then end the story with a hug. She'd giggle and smile and my heart would melt. Those memories are so precious and I'm happy to recommend a product that contributes to happy memories.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."