Because most 2-4 year olds aren't able to understand the complex language of the Bible, Kenneth Taylor has reduced 184 of its most familiar stories to paragraph-length and paired each one with a full-page color picture. The text is written to be commentary on the cartoony illustrations, and the questions at the end of each story (usually there are two or three) are dependent on both the paragraph and the picture.
The Scriptural reference is included for each story, and the Biblical narrative from Creation to Paul's ministry is included. There is no specific doctrinal orientation, though a strong Evangelical emphasis is present throughout. At the end of each section is a short prayer for kids to recite. While this isn't a bad idea to help kids learn how to pray, the wording Taylor chooses more often than not reduces the preceding story to no more than a moralistic tale; kids are directed more to "being good" than learning about and understanding God's character.
This shouldn't be used as more than an introduction to the main stories in the Bible for preschool children. We prefer the older edition of this book (no longer available), which featured classier illustrations and more questions per story. The shortness of each story in this volume, however, makes it excellent for holding the attention of a very young audience.
Did you find this review helpful?