Crossway Book Review: "Mighty Acts of God" Family Bible Story Book

Mighty Acts of God: A Family Bible Story Book
 
Mighty Acts of God: A Family Bible Story Book by Starr Meade is another great addition to our family bookshelf that I was able to review for Crossway Books.  It differs from other Bible "story books" in that it emphasizes God's role in each story, rather than each specific person and their actions.  It illustrates God's continuing plan through history to love and redeem His children.

Written in narrative form, it accurately re-tells the Scriptures at a level easily understandable to a target audience of about 5-10 years old.  It was a little over Lil Sis' head (age 2-1/2), but Big Sis (8) was very interested.  The tone is conversational and actually sounds like a trusted teacher explaining the stories to children.  More difficult words are defined, such as this:

Zechariah blessed God for redeeming his people.  To redeem people is to pay a price to set them free.  If someone were kidnapped by bandits, the ransom paid to free that person would redeem him.

There are 90 chapters (stories).  Each one features a specific quoted scripture for easy reference.  There is also a "As for me and my house. . . " activity at the end of each chapter.  It is either a prayer, a question for discussion, further reading, or hands-on activity.  As a homeschooler, I especially liked this because it continues the lesson with more discussion and something to really engage the kids.  For instance, at the end of Chapter 11 (Moses and Pharaoh and the ten plagues) you'll find this:

Make a list of miracle workers in the Bible; you may find it surprisingly short!  Discuss why those particular individuals were enabled to perform miracles.

Discuss why far more miracles by Jesus are recorded than miracles by anyone else.  As a result, what should we think of him?  What should be our attitude toward him?

I like the link made between the Old and New Testaments, too, to make it clear that it's God's continuing story.

The illustrations by Tim O'Connor add just enough color to the stories to keep kids' attention, though there is definitely more text than pictures.  The people are more realistic-looking rather than cartoonish.  The only thing that Big Sis did comment on is that the heavy, dark eyebrows on the men make them look angry or sad in most of the pictures.

Overall, I think this is a great book for that in-between age group that is too old for simple cartoon Bibles and too young to study the Bible alone.  It would make a great Bible study book for homeschool time as well.


Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy for review from Crossway. No other compensation was given for my honest opinion.  In case you should decide to purchase the book, I included my affiliate links for your convenience. Purchases made at these links will help this stay-at-home mom's homeschooling budget. Thank you!