One of the most frequently asked questions we hear while serving the NALC in the area of Youth and Family Ministry is, “What children’s Bible should I buy for my child, grandchild, Godchild, etc.?” 

We recommend giving Bibles that are age-appropriate, presented in an engaging way for children and using a translation or paraphrase that is on their reading level.

For preschoolers who can’t yet read on their own, we recommend My First Hands-on Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers and Group. This Bible uses the NLT instead of a paraphrase and includes Bible stories from both the Old and New Testaments. Each story is presented with pictures, activities to immerse the child in the story, prayers, and age-appropriate discussion questions. There’s also a “Jesus Connection” paragraph in every story so that parents and children can see how all of Scripture points to Jesus.

Another great story Bible for preschoolers and elementary students is The Jesus Storybook Bible written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago. This beautiful picture Bible published by Zonderkidz presents the Old and New Testament as one story and helps kids (and adults!) see God’s grand plan in Jesus. This Bible is great for getting kids to read the Bible on their own, because it reads like a story and they will not want to put it down!

Looking for a great option for school-age children and teens that are LEGO lovers? We recommend The Brick Bible: A New Spin on the Old Testament and The Brick Bible: The New Testament, told and illustrated by Brendan Powell Smith, published by Skyhorse Publishing. These two books are available in a hardcover box set. What could be more fun for children than reading Bible stories and seeing the tales illustrated with LEGO bricks? 

Also for school-age children and teens, we recommend the Egermeire’s Bible Story Book from Warner Press. It has 312 paraphrased stories that cover the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The nice thing about the Egermeire’s Bible is that the table of contents lists not just the name of the story, but also the corresponding Scripture references to each story. It also includes a question-and-answer portion in the back for each of the stories, which helps your child to think more about each of the stories.

Then for Confirmation, we recommend the Lutheran Study Bible by Concordia Publishing House. While this Bible may seem a bit overwhelming at first for the students, we encourage you to spend time studying it with them. This is a wonderful resource for students and adults to have for years to come.

In saying all of this, the most important thing is that you get a Bible into the hands of children, read it with them often, and have discussions about it. Instill a love of the Scriptures in the children you love!