How could the Bible be a disappointment? – sorry, this one is…October 8, 2010

This “3D Bible for Children” claims to be the first Bible translated especially for children – specifically the 3^rd Grade reading level.  I saw the preview of the 3D pictures, and thought ‘hmmmm, yeah that probably is updated to today’s world of 3D art….interesting’.  I am in a place in my life right now where I just can’t get enough of the Holy Bible, so I excitedly ordered this version – expecting lots of cool pictures, easy to understand and a sturdy-rugged package to hold up to young children.  I was proven wrong on all expectations when I received the book.

1. This Bible has flimsy card-stock paper covers (I was hoping for hardcover), and actually arrived to me already broken in with bent corners and a couple of tears – that was just from the mail!  Imagine what a week with a 3^rd grader could do!  Certainly not durable enough to withstand a life through one’s grade school years.
2. The writing was not easy to read, the type-set was very tight and the words close together.  For a 3^rd grader starting out with reading “big books” such as this, I could see how it would be very frustrating to the point of abandonment of the book.
3. Probably the most important is the translation.  I first jumped to Psalm 23.  Personally, I think the writers could have left well enough alone, but I get the idea of bringing it down to a child’s level of understanding.  However, leaving out the intensity of “Yea though I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” and minimizing it to “Even if I walk through a very dark valley, I will not be afraid” loses it for me.  Reading some more choice verses, I become even more disappointed.  Genesis 4:1 reads from this children’s bible as:  “Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve…”.  This certainly is inappropriate for 3^rd grade reading.
4. Finally, the pictures.  Quite frankly, I found some of the art interpretations downright spooky.  The 3D art is sparse, and they are placed randomly within the book – not following the stories in the Bible.  This is confusing.

I would not buy this for a young child.  The Bible is such a sacred, beautiful book, but I get the sense that God’s Holy Word is diminished with this version.  Disappointing.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program.