The Bible is one of the only books with stories that a person can encounter in their first years and continue reading into their elder years, discovering meaning and deepening faith as they revisit stories they've heard their whole lives," says Dawn Rundman, who developed the Frolic First Bible, a collection of Bible stories for children up to the age of three. Along with Andrew DeYoung, managing editor of Beaming Books, Rundman is helping to bring the experience of the Bible to children.
The Frolic First Bible features short retellings of 20 Bible stories from both Testaments and bright, fun art by Natasha Rimmington. "We wanted children to hear stories about God's people, starting from the creation story and including key stories of Abraham's family and Moses," Rundman says. "It was also important for us to include stories about women and children." Jesus also has a presence in each of the stories. In 2017, the publisher released a companion volume, the Frolic Preschool Bible.
Lift-the-Flap Bible Stories for Young Children, written by Andrew J. DeYoung and Naomi Joy Krueger and illustrated by Megan Higgins, offers interactive elements and warm cartoon art. "Children are literally lifting the flaps to advance the story," DeYoung says. "It's an interactive experience where kids engage through listening, looking, and doing."
Through their hands-on experience with these Bible primers, readers will begin to appreciate not only the "age-old interaction between God and humans," DeYoung says, but also the rich tradition of "telling stories that were passed down through generations." By growing familiar with the stories and figures of the Bible as children, readers, DeYoung says, are on the path to "telling their own stories of how God shows up in their lives."
