Though many segments of book publishing may subscribe to the tenet "everything old is new again," the saying holds especially true in the children's Bible and Bible storybook categories. When it comes to bringing the Word to kids, the greatest story ever told is perpetually retold in formats and translations designed to capture the trust and attention of parents as well as the imaginations of young readers.
The boom in demand for children's religion product (books as well as toys, videos and other ancillary items) that hit in the mid-'90s continues today, with both demographics and social climate as major factors. According to Tom Mockabee, senior v-p and publisher of Bibles for Zondervan, the "culture of spirituality" that has pervaded the nation's consciousness in recent years that has been particularly helpful to evangelical Christian publishers. "People -- and especially parents -- are looking for solid values in a changing culture," he points out.
The burgeoning number of children in the U.S. has expanded the market for children's Bibles and Bible storybooks considerably. "We see it as a real growth opportunity; the market is wide open," Mockabee comments He mentions Zondervan's July 1999 acquisition of Gold 'N' Honey Books (the former children's division of Multnomah) as an example of the confident expansion of the Zonderkidz division. "We have a much tighter alignment of our products now, and the acquisition helped leapfrog our growth in the children's area."
Other evangelical Christian companies have also created new children's imprints in the past several years, including Tommy Nelson (Thomas Nelson) and, more recently, Beansprouts (Standard Publishing) and Faith Kids (Chariot Victor), among others. "The Bible storybook is a strong format that a lot of people want," Mark A. Taylor, v-p and publisher of Standard, tells PW. "There always seems to be a demand, and our offerings have continued to multiply as a result of that." He adds, "We've had great success in the CBA market and are taking some new initiatives to secure distribution in the ABA and mass markets as well."
Top of the Titles
With so many titles, translations and imprints from which to choose, selecting a children's Bible or Bible storybook as a gift or for a family library can be a real challenge. For starters, many children's books that are called Bibles contain considerably less material than the Good Book's full text. The definition of "Bible" is a topic that has raised some controversy among children's publishers and makes for plenty of confusion when it comes to tracking category sales (as in the various lists published by CBA Marketplace, the magazine of the Christian Booksellers Association).
Setting controversy aside, there are several children's titles that emerge as perpetual strong sellers in both Christian and general trade bookstores. The CBA Marketplace Top 10 Best-selling Children's and Youth Books of 1998 listing, which reflects sales in Christian retail stores in the U.S. and Canada, contains the storybooks Baby's First Bible (Standard/Reader's Digest Young Families), the Beginners Bible by Karyn Henley (Zonderkidz; more than three million copies sold since its 1989 publication) and the Baby Bible Storybook by Robin Currie (Chariot Victor). The high ranking of these titles is right in line with the observations of Cheryl Greene, children's product coordinator for the Parable Group, a California-based marketing organization that currently serves 331 independent Christian bookstores. "Those are three of the strongest storybook titles that our stores always stock," she says. Baby's First Bible, a board book with die-cut pages and a carrying handle, first published in 1996 (by Standard in the CBA market and by Reader's Digest in the general trade), "sells like gangbusters," according to Greene. The book has sold more than 400,000 copies in the Christian market alone, notes Diane Stortz, director of children's publishing for Standard (Beansprouts), and has spawned a line of such spin-offs as Baby's First Prayers and the forthcoming Baby's First Bible Songs (Jan. 2000). Baby's First Bible also tops the list of popular children's Bible and Bible storybook titles in the Borders chain stores, according to Borders Inc. spokesperson Kendra Smith. Other steady sellers for Borders include the Read with Me Bible (Zonderkidz), the Dorling Kindersley Illustrated Family Bible (DK) the Rhyme Bible (Gold 'N' Honey) and the Golden Children's Bible and My Very First Golden Bible (Golden).
Family Christian Stores, a chain more than 330 outlets strong, mirrors its competition, citing that its best Bible storybook sales come from the Beginners Bible, Baby's First Bible and the Baby Bible Storybook. "Sales have really picked up for us in the past year to 18 months," says Lori Miles, children's book buyer for Family Christian Stores. She attributes the gains to Family's 1998 acquisition of the Joshua chain of Christian bookstores as well as to the high quality of children's titles available. "Lately, the suppliers really came to the table with quality products," she notes. As a result, children's Bible storybooks account for 10%“12% of total company sales and 28% of children's book sales.
Among full-text Bibles for kids, independent Christian stores definitely do best with Zondervan's New Adventure Bible (NIV). "It's by far the bestselling Bible sold in our member stores," says Parable Group's Greene. "In 1998, we sold 2500 copies during a single, month-long holiday promotion." Zondervan reports that there are more than two million copies of the 1994 title in print. Greene notes that the International Children's Bible (Tommy Nelson) -- for which Nelson has recorded sales of 1,464,000 copies -- is also a strong performer in Parable stores. On the ICB's heels, Tommy Nelson reports 1.2 million units sold of the five-volume My Little Bible set for preschoolers since its 1991 publication. The NIrV Kids' Devotional Bible: New International Reader's Version (Zonderkidz), Zondervan's exclusive translation of the NIV at a third-grade reading level, "had a slow start," offers Greene, "but it's really catching on now." Zondervan reports that the title's sales topped 100,000 copies in 1998.
What's New?
While it appears that a number of favorite titles are here to stay, the evangelical Christian publishing industry is not about to rest on its laurels. Publishers clearly feel a continuing need to innovate and improve. In the spirit of keeping up with the times, Zonderkidz will release an updated version of its popular Read with Me Bible in January 2000. The company has also just released the Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers under the Gold 'N' Honey imprint and Kidcordance, a reference title based on the NIrV.
New titles for Tommy Nelson include the Jesus Loves Me Bible the former Hosanna Bible with a new title and cover) for preschoolers and the Light Up Bible (Oct.) for kids age 6“12, which comes packaged with a pop-out reading light. In February 2000, Tommy Nelson will release the Adventures in Odyssey Bible (NKJV), which contains additional "reference-linked adventures" and colorful inserts starring characters from Focus on the Family's Adventures in Odyssey animated video series.
One new title that has retailers excited across the board is the just-published My Good Night Bible (Standard), in which a firefly leads young readers through a series of 45 Bible stories, each accompanied by a prayer and tips for a peaceful bedtime routine. "We're known for our innovative formats," states Standard's Stortz, "and we're very excited about this book's potential. We had 10,000 pre-orders for it." Both Greene of the Parable Group and Miles of Family Christian Stores expect great results from this title. "Standard pretty much owns this category," says Miles. "Every year they seem to come out with some cute new format for younger children." Another title garnering pre-publication praise from booksellers is the Step-By-Step Bible (Chariot Victor, Oct.). Panoramic art and a time line that places biblical events in the context of world history make this volume a standout.
One of the biggest success stories of the past year has been the Little Girls Bible Storybook for Mothers and Daughters by Carolyn Larsen, illustrated by Caron Turk (New Kids Media/Baker House Books), a volume that contains mother-daughter activities. "We wanted to do something new, and for us, taking a smaller segment of the market has worked very well," says Jerry Watkins of New Kids Media. Watkins notes that the title has sold 200,000 copies since its March 1998 release. The companion book, the Little Boys Bible Storybook for Mothers and Sons -- which, according to Watkins, was "requested by customers and retailers immediately after the girls' book came out" -- was published in September. Other complementary materials include the Little Girls Bible Songbook (New Kids/Baker House), which comes packaged with an audiocassette, as well as a Little Girls Bible Storybook CD-ROM and several coloring and activity books published by Standard (which licensed the property from New Kids Media). Broadman & Holman is also taking a media-enhanced approach this fall, releasing the Word & Song Bible, an illustrated volume accompanied by spoken-word recordings of Scripture read by bestselling pastor/author Max Lucado and others and songs performed by the Wonder Kids Choir.
Tyndale House, whose My First Bible in Pictures has sold more than a million copies, moves into a slightly older arena this month with The Book for Teens (NLV). Continuing the company's three-year Bible-reading campaign, Tyndale will release The Book for Kids in February 2000. Also for teens this fall, the Teen Devotional Bible (NIV) from Zondervan was released this month.
Jewish Bibles, Too
Publishers of Judaica join the fall Bible and Bible storybook fray with several new titles. Pitspopany Press will publish its five-volume (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) Jewish Children's Bible, adapted by Sheryl Prenzlau, next month. Each volume contains behind-the-scenes Rabbinic commentary. Also offered is a gift set including three additional post-biblical stories: "The Book of Jonah," "The Book of Ruth" and "The Children's Haggadah." The Kids' Catalog of Bible Treasures (Nov.) is the latest offering from the Jewish Publication Society. Author Chaya Burstein employs crafts, recipes, jokes, quizzes and other elements to demonstrate how stories and customs from the Bible apply to contemporary life. And one of the newest trade titles in the category, the Usborne Children's Bible: The Old Testament for ages 4“9, hit bookstores last spring.
The future of children's Bible and Bible storybook publishing -- much like the state of the industry today -- will probably be an amalgam of tradition and change. Consumers will always seek out these titles for the family library and as treasured gift items, and they will likely continue to have a broad range of product from which to choose.
