Toddler Bible Recommendations?

[ctrygirlatheart]

Can someone recommend a good bible with pictures and simple stories for a toddler?  Amazon has a million and not sure where to start..

And since I am posting, at what age did you introduce the concept of God and how?  We listen to Christian music, pray and I talk about how God made this and that but sometimes I wonder if this could be a little confusing to her.  She doesn't go to Sunday school yet because it is still too much for her to be thrown into a group of strange kids and a strange adult or two with no mommy.  The concept of God is so big, how does this fit into a toddlers little world?

[NEastMomma]

Hi,

Though it is not a bible, we do have "My Little Golden Book about God" and I think it is very beautiful. 

"Bend down to touch the smallest flower.  Watch the busy ant tugging at his load.  See the flash of jewels on teh insect's back.  This tiny world your two hands could span...God planned."  and "God is the love of our mother's kiss.  the warm strong hung of our daddy's arms."  These are two quotes from the book I which I particularly like.  DS is 18mos, so I'm sure to him it is like any other book - he enjoys reading it, but not sure that he "gets it."

I have seen some very simple bibles in Borders and Barnes & Noble.  Might be worth a trip to be able to check them out in person.

Personally, I don't think it is ever too early to start talking about God.  Of course, you can keep it very simple.  Though I am Catholic and for myself say all sorts of scripted prayers, when I pray with DS I simply say, "God bless so and so, and so and so.  And thank you God, for our loving family, etc." 

I bring DS to mass with me often and to entertain him, I grab fliers from the back of the church and now he's able to point at pix of Jesus and know who He is.  Always gets a chuckle out of the people around us.

Hope this helps!

[pbjmama]

We like the Jesus storybook bible. I didn't have a specific way to introduce the concept of God. Yes, it can be confusing sometimes but if my kids don't understand I go from there and sometimes my answer is I don't know. 

[wishin'&hopin']

Desmond Tutu has a wonderful version out.  The illustrations are amazing.  That said, it's a read aloud with and talk about the pictures kind of book (it's not a board book).  And, it is definitely not too early to start introducing the concept of God!  By loving your child, caring for them and treating them with respect you are introducing the concept!

[crunchy_mommy]

My sister got DS this one for his baptism... It is very simple & straight-forward, not too many words, it's a board book, seems just right for this age (he just turned 2). I will probably get him a more detailed one in a year or two. We also have a ton of other books about God. We have the "My Little Golden Book About God" the pp mentioned, and "A Night Night Prayer" (one of my favorites, LOVE the pictures!)... "All God's Creatures", "Bible Songs" and a bunch of others (I just pick up whatever I see at the thrift store that looks nice). So we don't really differentiate between religious books & non-religious, they are just all part of his book collection and we read them all throughout the day along with his other books. I guess this is how I want him to view it in general -- I want God to be a part of his everyday life, not just specific times like church or bedtime prayers.

We take him to the children's program during Mass (DH or I go with him, he's by far the youngest) and he learns a lot there, especially certain religious acts and traditions. We do talk with him about God creating the world, about Jesus, etc. but not in great detail because I don't think he'd grasp it... We explain how Mommy loves him, Daddy loves him, God loves him... we also sing songs... but mostly we pray together (at dinner and before bed, and other times for various reasons) and unless we're praying for someone/something specific, we just let him say all the things he's thankful for (Mommy & Daddy, Grandma & Grandpa, books, pillows, the humidifier... lol it's very cute!) Then he says "Night-night God, I love you God!" or "AMEN! Eat food now?"

So I guess at this point we are just kind of exposing him to the whole concept of God as well as the specifics of our religion. I don't really expect him to fully understand until he's older, but it's just like anything else we teach them at this age... sometimes I'm surprised at how much he really takes in! We're just laying the foundation...

[StoriesInTheSoil]

DS has my old Beginner's Bible and he loves it. I've had it since I was a baby. I think it is a wonderful kids bible.

[JuliMummy]

Hi,

We love the Big Picture Story Bible. The illustrations are great, but most importantly, unlike a lot of children's bibles that have a collection of disconnected stories, this one presents the whole of God's plan for salvation from Creation to Revelation (the "big picture" - hence the name), as a single story, broken up into individual sections. The emphasis is on seeing how God has been at work through history, right up to Jesus and beyond. We started reading this, and alternating with a more classic 'story bible', when our son was old enough to have bedtime stories.

In terms of when you can introduce God to a toddler, reading the bible together is probably the most important thing we have found. It's then easier to talk about God the rest of the time with them as well. I wouldn't be too worried about God being too big an idea for a toddler's world (after all, he's too big an idea for my world still!). Toddlers actually have no problem with accepting that God made the world and everything in it, and that He sent Jesus to die for us so that we can be friends with Him and live with Him forever. It's us adults who struggle with the concept...

I have to admit I was a bit daunted by how to do this when our son was still too little, but now that we're doing it it's actually not that hard and comes quite naturally. And it's just a combination of reading the bible together, praying together, talking about God,( the things he made, what Jesus did for us and how we can be friends with God because of it, how we're going to live with God forever), Sunday School. You'll probably find it happens quite naturally. It sounds like you're already doing it :)