• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Illustrated Ministry

Progressive Faith Resources for the Church & Home

  • About
  • For Churches
  • For Families
  • Products
    • Complete Catalog
    • Advent
      • An Illustrated Advent for Families: Now in Flesh Appearing
      • Now in Flesh Appearing Advent Devotional
      • Now in Flesh Appearing Advent Worship Liturgy Set
      • Advent Themes ⇨
        • Now in Flesh Appearing
        • God With Us
        • Do Not Be Afraid
        • In Light and Darkness
      • Family Devotionals
      • Coloring Posters
    • Curriculum
      • Mini Revolutions Curriculum (based on the RCL)
      • Compassion Camp
      • The Beatitudes: An Illustrated Curriculum
      • The Lord’s Prayer: An Illustrated Curriculum
      • An Illustrated Invitation: Joining God at Work in the World
      • An Illustrated Compassion: Learning to Love Like God
      • An Illustrated Earth: Celebrating God’s Creation
    • Illustrated Worship Resources
      • Fall 2022
      • Summer 2022
      • Spring 2022
      • Winter 2021-2022
    • Lent
      • New for 2023
        An Illustrated Lent for Families: This is My Body
      • New for 2023
        This is My Body Lenten Devotional
      • New for 2023
        This is My Body Lenten Worship Liturgy Set
      • Lent Resources
      • Family Lenten Devotionals
      • Lenten Devotionals
      • Lent & Easter Worship Videos
      • Virtual Easter Pageant
      • Coloring Posters
    • Pentecost
      • Pentecost Coloring Page & Poster
      • Pentecost Coloring Page & Poster – Spanish-language Version
    • Coloring Pages & Posters
    • Illustrated Cards & Stickers
      • Greeting Cards
      • Stickers
      • 1.25″ Pinback Buttons
    • Spanish-Language Resources
  • Blog
    • Coloring Posters
    • Community Spotlight
    • Curriculum
    • Faith Formation
    • Family Ministry
    • Outreach & Mission
    • Product Updates
    • Reviews
    • Sunday School
    • Tutorials
    • Worship
  • FB Group
  • Contact Us
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Licensing Terms
    • Multi-Entity License Request Form
    • Submit Product Ideas
    • We’re Hiring!
  • SHOP
You are here: Home / Archives for Books

Books

These 5 Kids’ Books about Empathy Teach Us How to Love Like God

Alissa Ellett 1 Comment

Read these kids’ books about empathy with your young ones and teach them how to live out their faith in tangible ways every day.

kids books about empathy

What kids’ books about empathy do you enjoy with your young ones? Tell us in the comments below!

Why does empathy matter?

We begin to understand others. When we practice empathy, we place ourselves in someone else’s shoes. This is important for so many reasons.

Empathy teaches us about God’s love. God lived in the person of Jesus. And God lives within and through us and all of creation now. God, by nature of being incarnational, is empathetic. We love like God when we practice empathy.

Empathy enriches our relationships. When we use our energy to understand those around us we become more connected. We know our close ones more deeply. And around us people feel safer to be who they are.

Empathy improves group dynamics. When a group is full of people who practice empathy lots of amazing things are true. Violence is lower. Communication is better. Self-expression increases. Creativity and innovation thrive.

Empathy helps us cultivate self-acceptance. We learn to understand the experience of others. Consequently, we begin to see our past self as an “other” to understand. We can look to less aware, experienced, healthy, kind, brave… selves as ones to be seen and loved.

Bottom line? Empathy is utterly foundational to making compassionate decisions. If we are to live out our faith with compassion, which is kind of the point, we must develop our ability to empathize.

kids books on empathy

Wonder

Age range: 8-12 years old

August Pullman is a 10-year-old boy who likes Star Wars and Xbox, ordinary except for his jarring facial anomalies. Homeschooled all his life, August heads to public school for fifth grade and he is not the only one changed by the experience–something we learn about first-hand through the narratives of those who orbit his world. August’s internal dialogue and interactions with students and family ring true, and though remarkably courageous he comes across as a sweet, funny boy who wants the same things others want: friendship, understanding, and the freedom to be himself.

Auggie & Me

Age range: 8-12 years old

Auggie & Me gives readers a special look at the world of Wonder through three new points of view. These stories are an extra peek at Auggie before he started at Beecher Prep and during his first year there. Readers get to see him through the eyes of Julian, the bully; Christopher, Auggie’s oldest friend; and Charlotte, Auggie’s new friend at school. What an opportunity for empathic learning! Together, these three stories are a treasure for readers who don’t want to leave Auggie behind.

kids books on empathy

Amazing Grace

Age range: 4-8 years old

Grace loves stories, whether she hears them, reads them, or makes them up. Possessed with a marvelous imagination as well as a strong flair for the dramatic, she acts the stories out, always giving herself the most exciting parts. Thus, it is natural when her teacher announces a classroom production of Peter Pan , that Grace wants to play the lead. One classmate says she can’t because she’s a girl and another says she can’t because she’s black. When a saddened Grace relates the days events to her mother and grandmother, they tell her she can be anything she wants to, if she puts her mind to it.

The Invisible Boy

Age range: 6-9 years old

The Invisible Boy follows the journey of Brian, a boy who feels unnoticed by his peers – invisible – in school. Brian is the only kid not chosen for a kickball team and is left out of a fellow student’s birthday party. It isn’t until a new kid, Justin – a boy with a few quirks of his own – joins the class that Brian begins to feel more visible.

The One and Only Ivan

Age range: 8-12 years old

Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan, a captive gorilla, has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.

Have fun reading these kids’ books on empathy with your young ones. And don’t forget to share your ideas, too, in the comments below!

Children of God Storybook Bible: A Review

Alissa Ellett 1 Comment

Children of God Storybook Bible is one of so many children’s Bibles. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the variety and unsure which is best for your bookshelf. So, here at ICM, we’ve compiled our thoughts in this blog series where we’ll be reviewing some of today’s most popular children’s Bibles. Once you find your fave children’s Bible, check out our post on ways of reading scripture with your kids to get the most out of it!

Children of God Storybook Bible

Quick Facts about Children of God Storybook Bible

  • 128 pages
  • Author: Archbishop Desmond Tutu
  • Illustrators: 20 renowned artists from around the world
  • Storybook format (a retelling of some of the Bible)
  • Age Range: 4-8 years old

A Closer Look

To begin, there’s no perfect choice for all children everywhere or even for your own child. Each children’s Bible is a mixture of aspects to love and those that invite palm to forehead moments. So, in this series of reviews, we’ll always include what we think to be the pros and cons of each Bible. And we’ll discuss whether or not we’d recommend it to our friends. So, let’s dive in and take a closer look at Children of God Storybook Bible.

Children of God Storybook Bible

Pros of Children of God Storybook Bible

Name Plate Included: It contains a nameplate for gifting it to a child. A parent, children’s director, teacher, or family member would appreciate this.

Engaging Illustrations: This children’s Bible includes 20 internationally recognized illustrators’ work that’s beautiful.

Inclusively Illustrated Characters: Desmond Tutu invited illustrators to depict their own heritage in the stories. As a result, biblical characters are not all culturally accurate. However, this is fundamentally different than depicting all characters inaccurately as Caucasian. For, here it is done with the purpose of intentional inclusion rather than unintentional exclusion. Archbishop Desmond Tutu strives in this work to tell all children we each have a place in God’s story. Thus, we’ve included this as a pro.

Table of Contents Included: It has a very clear table of contents, which makes finding stories easy.

Classic Stories Included: It includes all the classic stories you’d hope for from a children’s Bible.

Digestible Story Length: With the exception of a few 4-pagers, all stories are 2 pages. So, it’s easy to hold young readers’ attention and integrate reading into faith education.

Biblical Passages Cited: Each story gives the biblical passages from which the author drew. This raises biblical literacy and makes for easy cross-referencing.

Familiar Titles: The stories have titles that are easily correlated with those in the Bible.

Ending Prayers: Each story ends with a short prayer. They either thank God or ask for God’s help and reinforce a theme from the story.

Audio Versions Available: This children’s Bible is available on CD and Audible, which would be great for use in the car, classroom, or at home.

Children of God Storybook BibleCons of Children of God Storybook Bible

Small, Obscured Page Numbers: First, the book’s page numbers are small, ultra-light, and printed over the illustrations. So, they can be difficult to see.

Gendered Language for God: Children of God Storybook Bible refers to the Divine as “he.” However, God is not male or female. All language for the Divine is metaphorical. Therefore, if we use one gender for God, then it follows that we would use all genders. If not, using non-gendered language for God is ideal. Most seminaries require this. Thus, there is no reason it shouldn’t be common practice in the pulpit and faith education of young ones.

Somewhat Deceptive Marketing: Zondervan placed a sticker on the front cover that says, “Free Audio Downloads at ChildrenofGodBible.com.” However, one is allowed only two free downloads out of the fifty-six stories in Children of God Storybook Bible. Readers may purchase the others.

Children of God Storybook Bible

Conclusion

To conclude, Children of God Storybook Bible has a lot going for it. First, it has a nameplate for easy gifting. Second, it has engaging and inclusive illustrations. Third, it has a table of contents for easy reference. Fourth, it includes all the classic stories, and they’re a digestible length. Fifth, it gives biblical passages for each story and uses familiar titles. Sixth, it offers short prayers with each story. Seventh, it has audio versions available.

Yet, Children of God Storybook Bible also possesses elements that could detract from it. First, its page numbers are hard to read, which makes finding stories challenging at times. Second, it uses only male language for God. Third, it includes a potentially misleading sticker on its front cover for free audio downloads.

Because we find this children’s Bible has far more pros than cons, we would recommend it. We would simply change the male language to be inclusive when reading aloud. And we’d use it as an opportunity to speak with children about it. For example, we’d discuss the power of our language, what it can communicate and why God is so often referred to as male.

We hope this review has been helpful and has given some food for thought. Share what children’s Bibles you have and love in the comments below!

The Jesus Storybook Bible: A Review

Alissa Ellett 5 Comments

The Jesus Storybook Bible is one of so many children’s Bibles. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the variety and unsure which is best for your bookshelf. So, here at ICM, we’ve compiled our thoughts in this blog series where we’ll be reviewing some of today’s most popular children’s Bibles. Once you find your fave children’s Bible, check out our post on ways of reading scripture with your kids to get the most out of it!

Jesus Storybook BibleQuick Facts about The Jesus Storybook Bible

  • 352 Pages
  • Author: Sally Lloyd-Jones, Illustrator: Jago
  • Storybook format (a retelling of some of the Bible)
  • Age Range: 4-8 years old
  • Bestseller on Amazon
  • The Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner

A Closer Look

There’s no perfect choice for all children everywhere or even for your own child. Each children’s Bible is a mix of aspects to love as well as those that invite palm to forehead moments. In this series of reviews, we’ll always include what we think to be the pros and cons of each Bible and whether or not we’d recommend it to our friends. So, let’s dive in and take a closer look at The Jesus Storybook Bible.

Jesus Storybook Bible

Pros of The Jesus Storybook Bible

Engaging Illustrations: Award-winning illustrator Jago produces dynamic, vibrant illustrations. They’re beautifully expressive, engaging, and simple in presentation.

Digestible Story Length: The stories, which are retold compilations of several chapters, are short. This aspect makes it easy to hold the attention of young readers.

Table of Contents Included: Having a table of contents makes for easy reading, especially if a child has favorites they like to return to repeatedly.

Classic Stories Included: All the classic stories you’d hope for from a children’s Bible are included here.

Name Plate Included: The first page contains a nameplate for gifting it to a child. A parent, children’s director, teacher, or family member would appreciate this.

Compact Size: This children’s Bible is medium-sized (6.6 x 1 x 7.9 inches). It is small enough to stow in a child’s backpack for church or travel.

Appropriately Illustrated Characters: Figures are shown with olive skin and dark hair, honoring the Bible’s Middle Eastern context.

Biblical Passages Cited: Each retelling of a biblical story gives the biblical passages from which the author drew. This increases biblical literacy and makes for easy cross-referencing.

Jesus Storybook Bible

Cons of The Jesus Storybook Bible

Unfamiliar Story Titles: While the story titles are creative and fun, they aren’t the names we normally associate with biblical stories. This can make it difficult to find a particular story. Additionally, a child may struggle to make the connection between stories as they age and begin reading out of a complete Bible.

Imposed Narrative: In The Jesus Storybook Bible, the thread that holds all the stories together is Jesus. This for some is the biggest selling point. However, this was not the intention of the biblical authors. Furthermore, imposing the narrative of Jesus’ life and mission onto the Hebrew scriptures can present problems. To mention just one, such theology can easily lead to anti-Semitic thinking. That is, one can argue that Jews don’t know how to interpret their own holy texts and are “missing the point.”

Exclusively Masculine Language for God: God is neither male nor female but possesses a nature far more complex and integrated. If we are to use one gender to metaphorically describe God then we must use all genders. If not, using non-gendered language for God is ideal. This is standard practice in most seminaries; there is no reason it shouldn’t be common practice in the pulpit and faith education of young ones.

Inaccurate Biblical Account: Lloyd-Jones takes much creative license in her retelling. Consequently, there are inaccuracies in the biblical stories. For example, the story of Adam and Eve names the serpent Satan, a fallen angel. Satan asks Eve, “Does God really love you?” To begin, the biblical text doesn’t name the serpent Satan. Furthermore, the serpent doesn’t ask that question of Eve. Moreover, it’s debatable, non-biblical mythology that assumes the character of Satan is a fallen angel. Throughout The Jesus Storybook Bible, several of these unsound portrayals exist.

Jesus Storybook Bible

Conclusion

Children’s Bibles are all different, each with good qualities. And The Jesus Storybook Bible has some things going for it. The illustrations are beautiful and portray the characters appropriately. Its stories are short, and it includes all the classics. It contains a table of contents, scripture references, and a nameplate. And it’s an easy size to take along places.

However, there are several key things that take away from it. First, the story titles are unfamiliar. This can slow learning and make it difficult to find the desired story. Second, Lloyd-Jones weaves the life of Jesus into every story of the Hebrew scriptures. Third, Lloyd-Jones uses gendered language for God that is exclusively male. Fourth and finally, there are several inaccuracies in the stories. When teaching children, we hope to give them an understanding of their faith that invites little undoing and relearning. Enough of life’s events invite that through theological reflection without wild misunderstanding of scripture. In conclusion, in spite of it being a best seller on Amazon and a gold medalist in The Moonbeam Awards, we wouldn’t recommend The Jesus Storybook Bible.

We hope this review has been helpful and has given some food for thought. Share what children’s Bibles you have and love in the comments below!

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

Footer

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Phone
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 Illustrated Ministry, LLC. All rights reserved. Licensing Terms.