As a teacher, writer, and all-over 'artistic'-type person, I am often critical of Christian parenting resources that are designed to explain and illustrate Christian living to children. Sometimes, it's the writing that is not clear, is too frou-frou (avoiding the tough stuff), or are just outright wrong. (We saw a board book once that showed a little girl going to church, and ended with something like "Say good-bye to God until next Sunday!" We threw that book away.) Sometimes, it's the art work or animation that is shoddy, and gets in the way of an otherwise good message.
So when I find good books and videos, I like to share them with other parents, who may also be in search of tools to help them in their parenting.
First up, VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer is at it again, this time with puppets and Bible history! His new video series, called 'What's in the Bible?', has silly characters, funny songs, and facts that even most parents don't know! And what I appreciate the most about them is that Mr. Vischer doesn't skirt around the harder questions. To learn more about the DVDs (and accompanying Sunday School curriculum), go to www.whatsinthebible.com. You can also check out his other projects on www.jellytelly.com.
Next we have New City Catechism, which consists of 52 questions for 52 weeks, divided into three parts (God, Son, Spirit). The website is non-denominational, but involve pastors and authors you may recognize, like John Piper, Timothy Keller, and Joshua Harris. Each question has a verse, commentary, short video, and prayer to help you teach the fundamentals of Christianity to your children.
And last week, I discovered at my library two wonderful picture books by Tomie dePaola (author and illustrator of 'Strega Nona'). 'The Parables of Jesus' and 'The Miracles of Jesus' takes text straight from the Bible and combines it with Mr. DePaola's beautiful illustrations.
Also, if you have not already read my other posts on good books, I recommend the 'Jesus Storybook Bible' by Sally Lloyd-Jones and the 'Tales of the Kingdom' series (three books) by David and Karen Mains. Below are the links to these posts, along with my two booklists and a link to the Chapel Library, a website of older writings by Christian authors, free and available for reading and sharing.
About 'the Jesus Storybook Bible'
About 'the Tales of the Kingdom'
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