June 2001

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the second edition of the Joan K. Snipes e-newsletter. This free newsletter comes to you because of your interest in the Bible and in my book, "That Ye May Teach the Children."

Those of you who teach Sunday School know that it isn't really possible to thoroughly cover all the stories in the Bible with just an hour a week in class. Parents and grandparents need to help children learn the stories at home. One way to do this is to have some nice picture books containing Bible stories. Although you can find these types of books at the library, many also like to purchase them for gifts.

Below is an annotated list of picture books for children. The list is simply a sampling of many that are available, either in new or used bookstores. Some I recommend and some I do not. I hope you find the list helpful.

Picture books for children based on the Bible (annotated list)

Armstrong, Carole. Women of the Bible: With Paintings From the Great Art Museums of the World. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. New York, NY. 1998.
I have this book and like it. There are paintings of Eve, Hagar, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah, Deborah, Delilah, Ruth and Naomi, Abigail, Bathsheba, Esther, Elisabeth, Mary (mother of Jesus), Herodias and Salome, Martha and Mary, and Mary Magdalene by eighteen different artists. This is appropriate for older children. The paintings require much explanation.

DePaola, Tomie. The Parables of Jesus. Holiday House. New York. 1987.
An illustrated retelling of seventeen parables, including the sower, the Good Samaritan and the prodigal son. I have this book. It is so-so. I'm not crazy about DePaola's illustrations (in this or any of his books.)

Hutton, Warwick. Moses in the Bulrushes. Athuneum. NY. 1986. Out of print.
This is a truly wonderful book. Worth tracking down in a used book store. Excellent illustrations and excellent text. Appropriate for both young and older children.

Miner, Julia. The Shepherd's Song: the Twenty-Third Psalm. Dial Books for Young Readers. New York. 1993.
This book received excellent reviews in Booklist (Sept. 15, 1993), Kirkus Reviews (Oct. 15, 1993), and Horn Books. I have this book and like it very much. The only text is the psalm itself.

Ray, Jane. The Story of the Creation. Dutton Children's Books. New York, NY, 1992.
I have this very unusual book and like it. The book uses the King James Version text from the first chapter of Genesis.

Jesus of Nazareth: A Life of Christ Through Pictures. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. New York, NY. 1994.
Although I purchased this book for my personal library, it is a mixed bag. Some of the masterworks from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC are not appropriate for children. I do not recommend it.

Pienkowski, Jan. Christmas: The King James Version with Pictures. Alfred A. Knopf: New York. 1984.
Though this book is beautifully designed with a bright red cover and wonderful pages, I would not give it a recommendation for two reasons. The Herod part of the story is left in and may be disturbing to young children. The illustrations, though very interesting, lack a comforting feeling found in other Christmas books.

Petersham, Maud and Miska. The Christ Child: A reverent picture book of the greatest and best-loved story in the world. Doubleday & Co., Garden City, NY. 1931.
A lovely book with excellent reviews. Nothing jarring or unexpected here. A simple classic.

Stories From the Old Testament: With Masterwork Paintings Inspired by the Stories. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. New York, NY. 1996.
The paintings in this book are by Raphael, Tintoretto, Cranach, Bruegel, Poussin, Tiepolo, Giorgione, Mantegna, Rembrandt, Rubens and other artists. I have this. It's an interesting book, but not an outstanding one. The paintings are sometimes graphic (David carrying the severed head of Goliath) and often require much explanation (Isaac looks more like a modern day girl with his long hair and dress-like robe.) The text is from the King James Version of the Bible. Not appropriate for very young children.

Spier, Peter. The Book of Jonah. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, NY. 1985.
This book is very well done. I highly recommend it.

Spier, Peter. Noah's Ark. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, NY. 1977.
I thought I would like this book because Spier's book about Jonah is so good. However, I don't care for it. You can read full reviews of this book (and others on this list) on www.amazon.com.

Werner, Jane. Illustrations by Rachel Taft Dixon and Marjorie Hartwell. Bible Stories of Boys and Girls. A Little Golden Book. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1953.
Tells the stories of Rebekah, Joseph, Miriam, Samuel, and David. I do not recommend this book because of two exceptions I have with the text and illustrations. Rebekah looks way too young to be leaving home and becoming a bride. Joseph is characterized as one having "foolish pride."

Wildsmith, Brian. Exodus. Wm. B. Eerdmans. 1999. $14. For ages 4-8.
This is a recently published, beautiful book. Each page is bordered in gold. I recommend it.

Wildsmith, Brian. Joseph. Wm. B. Eerdmans. $14. For ages 4-8.
This is a gorgeous book. The artwork is magnificent. I recommend it. See the Booklist review, February 1, 1998.

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Recently in my Bible study, I "discovered" the daughters of Zelophehad. For those of you who have a copy of my book, you'll notice that there is no mention of these courageous women in my Bible outline. This may be corrected, however, with a pen and ink addition to the outline under the heading Numbers (fourth book of the Bible.) Please add i) after the questions relating to Balaam and Balak, and label the sub-heading "The five daughters of Zelophehad."

Here are three associated comprehension questions you might like to use in your Bible teaching:

In the book of Numbers, a short story about the five daughters of Zelophehad is important because it explains how women gained rights. Who "brought their cause before the Lord"? Numbers 27:5

When Zelophehad died, his five daughters went before Moses, Eleazer the priest, and all the congregation and asked that they be allowed to inherit his property. The decision of their case established a new, just law. In which book of the Bible can you find this story? Numbers 26:33; 27:1-11; 36:1-13

The daughters of Zelophehad courageously declared their right to inherit property from their father. Moses took their case before God, who declared: "The daughters of Zelophehad speak right." How many daughters were there? Numbers 26:33

An old book by Edith Deen entitled "All of the Women of the Bible" (Harper & Row, 1955) contains an article with some interesting background information on these daughters and their story. See pages 62-64.

I welcome comments and input. Perhaps you know of some additional children's picture books telling Bible stories that might be of interest to my newsletter subscribers.

If you know someone who might enjoy receiving a copy of this newsletter, would you please have that individual email me directly at snipes@principia.edu?

Yours truly,

Joan Koelle Snipes
Bible Teaching Press
Shepherdstown, WV
snipes@principia.edu