Author: Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Eileen Spinelli
Illustrator: Nora Hilb
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Genre: Children / Christian
ISBN: 978-0310720065
Pages: 32
Price: $14.99

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The weatherman predicted rain. So Nora built an ark. Just like Noah. Well… not just like Noah. Nora wants to follow Noah’s actions, but she’s limited by what she has on-hand. She goes ahead anyway, doing everything to the best of her ability.

Nora’s ark is made from items she finds in storage. She can only round up pairs of a few animals, and the people she invites on the ark have to leave. Even Nora sneaks off for a little while. The rain only lasts a short while, unlike in Noah’s day. But a magnificent rainbow appears after the rain, just like Noah’s.

The Bible story of Noah and the flood is one children are usually very familiar with at a young age. So it’s endearing to see a girl act out the story on her own. And God is still abiding by his covenant with his people, which we can be sure of when we see the rainbow. Nora’s Ark is a delightful story with lovely illustrations. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Crystal Bowman
Illustrator: Richard Johnson
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Genre: Children / Easter
ISBN: 978-0-310-72595-4
Pages: 40
Price: $7.99

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Lily’s parents are planning to hide eggs for Lily and her brother to find. Lily can hardly wait, so she invites her friends to join them. But when the day arrives, they find a big surprise. These aren’t ordinary eggs – they’re Resurrection eggs.

No toys are placed inside these eggs – instead they find symbols of the Easter story. A guide for what each symbol represents, plus the appropriate Bible verses, is provided. As each egg is opened, Lily’s parents explain the item’s significance.

For me, personally, this was a nice story until the egg with the chalice was opened. At this point, Lily’s mom tells her that it represents the Last Supper. But her mother uses the word “like” in this explanation, which is not in the Bible: “…the wine was like his blood” and “… the bread was like his body.” This wording is not biblically accurate.

For those who don’t take these words of Jesus literally and don’t mind an interpretation, this is a cute Easter book. But for those who expect the literal words and not a paraphrase of what Jesus said, this book is not a good choice.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Authors: Max Lucado, Randy Frazee, Karen Davis Hill
Illustrator: Fausto Bianchi
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Genre: Children / Bible
ISBN: 978-0-310-73594-6
Pages: 32
Price: $6.99

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The Easter Story for Children is a fictional account of Jesus’ last days before his crucifixion, death and resurrection. Loosely based on the Bible, it attempts to share this account in a story format with graphic-style illustrations.

However, this story is not biblically accurate. The wording of the Last Supper is not only incorrect, it appears to be intentionally misleading. Matthew 26: 26-28 (NIV) states: “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'” The Easter Story for Children interprets these words of Jesus as: Jesus told them that the bread was like his own body that would be given for them. Also: “This cup of wine is a reminder of my promise to be your Savior.”

While I can certainly understand there may be different interpretations of this Bible text, I don’t feel that changes to the actual words of Jesus should have been made in a book that is supposed to be sharing the Easter story with children. They need to hear the actual words Jesus spoke, not a misrepresentation of these words.

I really expected better from Zonderkidz and Max Lucado. I’m disappointed with this book, and I can’t recommend it to anyone who desires biblical accuracy in children’s Bible stories.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Publisher: Zonderkidz
Genre: Children / Bible
ISBN: 978-0-310-73513-7
Pages: 32
Price: $4.99

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Zonderkidz presents The Beginner’s Bible version of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the message of His Resurrection. Told in a storybook format, this flip book shares the good news with kids.

Illustrations are colorful and the crucifixion is portrayed in a non-gruesome manner, suitable for very young children. Stickers of the various scenes are also provided, so kids can recreate the narrative for themselves.

The story of the first Easter is one every Christian child should be very familiar with. Zonderkidz has given parents a great resource in making sure their kids know how much Jesus really loves them.

Reviewer: Alice Berger