All Artwork © 2010, Ignatius Press
My young son has always been choosy about books, especially when it comes to illustrations. If he doesn’t like the look of the pictures right away, down on to the floor it goes! He prefers bright colors and recognizable figures. He doesn’t suffer art that is too abstract or dull. The Bible for Little Ones, by Maïte Roche, is none of that- it’s bright and beautiful, and he loves it. In fact it has attained one of the rare “favorite book” spots, which means he will look at it on his own, or happily read it with me any time.
I recently reviewed a children’s bible for young kids, but The Bible for Little Ones is suited to the even younger set. It is suggested for kids 18+ months, although my son received it at 11 months. It was a prize for a costume contest last year sponsored by Ignatius Press on Instagram. We didn’t wait to read it when it came in the mail, and he enjoyed it from the start! Of course, Baby H. didn’t have the patience for Maïte Roche’s lovely and simple wording at first. Looking at the pictures and turning the pages was enough to delight him. But as he aged, he listened more (when he wasn’t feeling too wiggly at the time!). This bible is long enough to touch on the main stories of our faith; Creation and the Fall, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, plus the life of Jesus. It is also short enough to make for a great bedtime book!
The colors used in The Bible for Little Ones illustrations are my favorite part. I may be partial to all things bright, but they are used masterfully here. I especially love to see the deep ultramarine blues next to warm golds! The figures are simple, yet still carry a fair bit of detail, which works well for my son. He relishes pointing out things familiar to him, which have been increasing with each month. At first, he had to point out all of the babies (baby Moses in his basket was a favorite!). Then came Jesus, all of the dogs, and now all of the other animals that he is learning. I think this book will serve him well as he heads into his second year, and his voacbulary and comprehension improve. Teaching him to love the Faith has been a priority for us in his young life, and this book has been a great tool in that quest.
Lastly, did I mention that it’s sturdy? It has a wonderfully (wipeable!) padded cover and thick board-book pages that are rounded. It is going to hold up for a while and I know we will be using it for any siblings that come along. If you have wee little ones that you’d like to start teaching the faith, or if you need a good children’s bible for a baptism gift, let me recommend this gem to you!
Information:
Author/Illustrator: Maïte Roche
Publisher: Ignatius Press & Magnificat
