Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
What do you get when you cross the allure of a comic-book style illustrations with relevant devotions?
The newest book in The Action Bible series offered by David C. Cook: The Action Bible Anytime Devotions 90 Ways to Help Kids Connect with God Anytime, Anywhere.
You may already be familiar the the first book in the series: The Action Bible. It is is a best-selling picture Bible which presents 215 comic-book style narratives in chronological order and has become a favorite Bible resource in many homes, including my own.
The way Sergio Cariello - a master illustrator who has worked for both Marvel Comics and DC Comics - brought the timeless Bible narrations to life for modern kids in The Action Bible just captures attention.
That same allure has been brought to The Action Bible Anytime Devotions - a slim, 200-page softcover devotional that can help you connect with God.
While far more text heavy than the comic-style Bible that preceded it, The Action Bible Anytime Devotions still invites kids in with its all-new original illustrations that engage kids in vivid scenes from Bible stories.
Each 2-page, full-color spread contains Sergio's expert illustrations - along with a text devotion.
The text of the devotions always starts with a Bible verse, then a story of a real-world situation, followed by some key points, a suggested prayer, a suggested action to take, and a reference to where you can read further in the Bible or in The Action Bible.
There are 90 devotions in total, which are labeled with the general categories of Love, Courage, Hope, Trust, Faith, Kindness, Strength, and Service and deal with such things as honesty, anger, identity, temptation, bullying, and more.
Thus, this devotional acts as an engaging tool to help today's kids (and their grown ups):
- Learn God's Word.
- Apply God's Word to life.
- Relate to people from the Bible.
- Pray.
- Think, share, and act.
- Dive deeper into the Bible.
Additionally, if you purchase the book as a gift, there is a space to include the name of the child, the name of the giver, and when the gift was presented.
There are also two pages addressed directly to parents and kids about how to use the book.
I say this because, sometimes when I was choosing which devotional to read to my children on a given night, the broad categories did not hone in enough on specific issues I hoped to address. Likewise, when my youngest was looking for thoughts and ideas related to "Kindness" he found that as we read the devotions labeled "Kindness" some seemed to be geared to other topics as well. Thus, we all feel a more detailed index would be helpful!
That aside, I've found The Action Bible Anytime Devotions a fruitful addition to our Lenten reading pile and have appreciated reading and discussing devotions in it during our evening read together times and, sometimes, as a part of our daily lessons.
The devotional is geared to kids ages 8-12, but I believe any age - young or old - can pray and grow with it.
My 14 year old said, "I like the illustrations."
My 9-year-old said, "I liked it. I like the way they told real-life stories and related them to the Bible and morals."
And, my 12-year-old said, "I like how it is connected with The Action Bible that they made. I also like how there were different parts to each devotional, such as the story, the Bible verse, and the take away. I'd recommend it to people who already have The Action Bible, people who want a devotional that they can do quickly, and to moms to read to their kids."
I agree with my daughter's recommendations. Kids who want quick, but solid devotions, parents who want family devotional, and people who already own The Action Bible would all like this devotional. I'd also like to add that you do not need The Action Bible for this devotional to work for you and yours. Using a traditional Bible along with it can work just as well. All Bible verse references are included.
Learn More
Over 50 Homeschool Review Crew families tried out The Action Bible Anytime Devotions book. Click through to find links to all of the reviews.
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