Review: Read and Share Bible by Gwen Ellis

Read and Share Bible: Over 200 Best Loved Bible Stories Retold by Gwen Ellis, Illustrated by Steve Smallman
Thomas Nelson (April 3, 2007) ~ 440 pagesNon-Fiction / Bible / Children's / Religion / Picture Book

Edition Reviewed / Special Thanks: Hardback - Received courtesy of the Amazon Vine review program!



Perfect for : Personal Use, Kids, Sunday School

In a nutshell: This Read and Share Bible is a wonderful addition to any child's bookshelf! The stories have been retold by Gwen Ellis in a way that makes them easy for kids to understand, and the pictures by Steve Smallman are simply wonderful, bringing the stories to life in a friendly and cheerful way.

It has taken me quite a while to find a book that meets the qualities I was looking for- easy to share stories from the Bible with plenty of pictures! After all - this IS a children's book, and kids love colorful pictures and words they can understand.

The suggested reading level for this book is ages 4-8, but I encourage parents to sit down with children younger than that - those who are interested in picture books would love these stories. They will enjoy the pictures as you read them the stories.

Extended Review:
Content/Format: The book contains more than 200 stories from the Bible, with big and colorful illustrations on each page. It even has a page of tips for parents (while telling the story, make the lion ROAR!). The book has been organized following the stories in the Bible and is broken into the Old Testament and the New Testament. Each of the Bible stories has a descriptive title, the scripture it is based on, a short story, colorful illustrations (From page 294,"A Baby Named John" Luke 1:57-66), and ends with a little comment or question at the end for discussion.

Readability: Very easy to read, understand and talk about with children.

Overall: I absolutely love this Bible story book! Gwen Ellis and Steve Smallman have done an absolutely beautiful job of choosing and illustrating stories in a way that makes them fun to read as a whole family!

From the publisher:
It is big and bright with lots of page-turning learning about the Word of God.

The Read and Share Bible is unique in its format and solid in Bible teaching. Packed with 200 stories that are simple re-tellings, the gigantic message of God's love and care is sure to win the hearts of little ones and give them a strong Bible foundation to guide their lives. With over 400 pieces of art, this Bible Storybook is highly interactive as it encourages Scripture Memory and reinforces comprehension with quick activities for you and your children.

Stories include Noah, David, Joseph, Abraham, Paul, and Christ as well as many other timeless Biblical characters and lessons.

About the Author:
Gwen Ellis… (from her website)

is a writer, editor, speaker, and consultant who established her own company, Seaside Creative Services, Inc., five years ago in Southern California. Gwen has been a professional in the publishing industry for 27 years.

Some people say Gwen has experienced just about everything that can happen in a woman’s life. She battled ovarian cancer, lost premature twin daughters at birth, lived as a single-again for many years, and she also knows the pain of losing one parent to cancer and the other to Alzheimer’s Disease.

But life hasn’t all been tough stuff. In fact, Gwen sees life as an awesome adventure.

Steve Smallman. . . (from his contact website)

I started working as an illustrator when I was in my final year at Art College and now, over 28 years later I still haven't got a proper job! I've illustrated literally hundreds of books, predominantly in educational publishing. A few years ago I was main illustrator for Longman's 'Story Street' reading scheme, illustrating 79 titles and writing 5.

I've worked in children's television, specifically in character development and most notably in the 'Raggy Doll' series in the mid to late 1980's. I have also done a certain amount of licensed work, illustrating characters such as Postman Pat, Bill and Ben and Sesame Street.

I've been described as an 'Animal Artist', not I hasten to add because I'm wild and hairy but because I love to draw animals and especially like to give them human characteristics.

I've been writing children's books for about 6 years and have already had several picture books published with more in development.

I've got 4 great children and although they're all adults now, my memories of them growing up inspire and inform my writing.

[Edited to remove some information]

And if that isn't enough, I also paint murals in schools, either on my own or working with groups of children and I take inset training sessions for teachers in drawing. Anything except get a proper job!


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