The Easter Story

I received this in the mail today and my kids were so excited to see what it was like. I was curious too. I've read The Message Translation for adults, but not any of the Message for kids.

It might seem like this would be a good set for 3-5 year olds, but I think it would be better for 4-7 year olds and mostly for 5-7 year olds. I was surprised at how many details were included. Autumn got a lot more from it than Sami.

I do like this set. My kids love it. I gave it 5 stars on Amazon because of that. Autumn asked me, "When are you going to order the other ones, Mommy?" One reviewer on Amazon made a comment about the blood on Jesus on the cross and that she wasn't so crazy about that for her 3 year old. I can understand that. But, my girls are 4 and 6 and they didn't make any comments to me about being concerned about the crucifixion. The blood is depicted on Jesus' body while he is on the cross. I looked up my other children's Bibles to see what they did. Some showed what happened more graphically and others didn't. The Big Picture Bible showed Jesus being beaten with blood across his back, but not Jesus on the cross. My daughters didn't comment on the blood, but my oldest daughter did ask me about Skull Hill. She told me that he was crucified at Golgotha. "Skull Hill" is another name for Golgotha. I think this set is appropriate for 5-7 year olds (maybe 4 year olds who have older siblings). I like the recording on the cd and it is nice that when the reader asks a question that she allows time for children to share their answers. The illustrations are not my favorite style (I am very old fashioned), but my girls did like them. There are also two songs at the end of the cd that are good recordings. If you are looking for the Easter story for younger children (2-4 yrs), I'd recommend Volume 2 of the Read Aloud Bible Stories by Ella Lindvall. The Easter story is the last story in it and I think it is very biblical and very appropriate for younger children. But, for children 5-7 yrs, I like this set! But, be forewarned, the background music is a little "elevator music" ish. It grows on you, though! Please note that I was given a complimentary copy of this book for review by NavPress.