JourneyOnline
Lion Hudson Plc; illustrated edition, 1995
RRP $19.95
Reviewed by Bob Warrick
This collection of 37 stories from the Old Testament and 38 from the New is designed to be read aloud, shared with children or grandchildren, a school class or a children’s group at church.
The popularity of Hartman’s writing is indicated by the fact that the first edition with 20 fewer stories sold over 130 000 copies in the UK and appeared in around a dozen languages.
The author has three aims: to bring the reader closer to the children in their life; to help the reader become a better storyteller; and that the stories chosen will show young children that God is love.
The Lion Storyteller Bible has an appendix of suggestions for involving groups of children (or adults!) in the stories and is accompanied by four CDs which contain all the stories.
Each story fits on the two pages of an opening so there is no page turning in a story, and there are illustrations that are sure to please your hearer/s. The language is reader and child friendly with rhythm and repetition used to great effect – but as the author reminds us, stories are for telling not reading. Notwithstanding this, a 10 year old settled down and read story after story and only reluctantly put the book down for a meal
If you can use well written stories that are easy to read, at around 25 cents a story this volume is a bargain.
