I can't think of a better way to start off the year than by sharing God's Word with my child. 365 Great Bible Stories: The Good News of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation, Carine Mackenzie's 150th children's book, provides one story for each day, including an extra one for leap year. This illustrated Bible story book is a great tool for getting young children excited about reading God's Word.

Even though the book is designed for young children to be able to read a Bible story each day on their own, Carine encourages children to read it however they wish. There isn't a right or wrong way to use this book, since the most important thing is learning about God! One suggested alternative is to read based on themes and topics, such as Jesus Christ and Salvation, Wars and Battles, or The Holy Spirit. In order to read this way, children will look for certain pictures throughout the book.

Ideally, I wanted my first grade daughter to read aloud to me one story each day, but she asked if she could have the book during her rest time instead. January is only half over, and she's on story 61! We often discuss what she's read, and I love her enthusiasm over reading God's Word on her own.

This book is divided into six sections: Creation, the Fall, the Flood, and the Exodus; Joshua, Judges, and the Kings; Prophets, a Prophetess, a Queen and a Priest; The Life of Jesus; The Apostles and the Early Church; and Epistles, Revelation and God's Word. At the beginning of each section, the chosen books of the Bible are listed, and Carine also lets you know who and what you will read about.

There is one story and illustration per page, which is perfect for young, fluent readers. At the end of each story is a section in red called "Think"--an extra note of explanation and encouragement from the author. Most of these are just a couple of sentences long.

I appreciate Carine Mackenzie's passion for retelling Bible stories in a way children can understand, doing so without compromising the original Biblical accounts. Her passion stems from her own children's complaints that Bible stories for kids often didn't sound the same as the Bible. This is something that is extremely important to me! I want my own children to know Truth at a very young age, and while I read the Bible to them daily, I know it's important for them to read and become excited about God's Word on their own. From what I have read in this book so far, I am very pleased and feel confident in recommending it to others.

I think 365 Great Bible Stories: The Good News of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation is best suited for children ages 5-8 who are reading well on their own. It would also be a great read-aloud for younger children. Please note that the book uses British spellings such as Saviour instead of Savior but that should not cause too much of an issue. You can add this attractive, hardback children's Bible story book to your library for $19.99. Ordering is easy on www.christianfocus.com.

Product Review by Brandi Tesreau, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January, 2012