Once Upon a Time Storybook Bible, illustrated by Omar Aranda

Feed upon your child's interest in fairy tales with this unique storybook Bible!


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I received a free copy of this product as a member of Zondervan's Z Blog Squad in exchange for writing a review.  All opinions are my own.



We now have quite a collection of storybook Bibles around the house, but that didn't keep us from being excited when this one arrived:






It's an interesting concept for a children's Bible -- every Bible story begins with the words, "Once upon a time..."

Although I've shared our love of fairy tales here before, the Bible is not exactly something I would want Gv thinking was set in the land of make-believe, like Snow White or Cinderella.

Luckily, it doesn't take long to see that any potential confusion about these stories being real is quickly put to rest -- even the cover states, "The Bible is not a fairy tale, but every great story happened 'once upon a time.'"




If anything, this book provides a wonderful opportunity to discuss with your child how although some stories like fairy tales are set in the land of make-believe, the stories in the Bible happened in a real place and during an actual time in history.





I feel this storybook option is nice to have as part of your collection. The illustrations are both realistic and pleasantly engaging and the book's large size allows it to stand out from others on the shelf.


You know me -- I've gotta judge a book by its rainbows!


Each of the 33 familiar stories opens with a Bible verse before jumping into the meat of the narrative. 




The liberal use of the colorful illustrations enhances the reading and each story ends with a "happily ever after" box which wraps up the main point with another Bible verse.




Tiny tots would most enjoy the large format and appealing illustrations in this book. The text is perfect for preschoolers and would probably still be enjoyed by early elementary-aged kids, as well.

I wouldn't want this to be the only resource available for my child, but I'm definitely happy to add it to our weekly rotation -- so often it's helpful to read the same story from different perspectives, day after day.

Pick up your own copy of this storybook Bible here and help expand your child's mental collection of great stories with these biblical classics!

I don't think relating these stories to fairy tales and "once upon a time" is much of an issue as long as you're able to have plenty of good conversations with your child to help explain the difference. What do you think?  I'd love to hear!  Either leave a comment below or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.

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