Peter Martin (9)

One of my goals as a Christian parent, is to pass on my faith and understanding of scripture to my children. So I am always on the hunt for creative ways to teach my kids about the Bible. Most Children’s Bible’s dumb down Bible stories and slap a moralistic lesson on the end. Very few Christian kid’s books help kids dig deeper into the Biblical story.

Bible Detective is a sort of Biblical Where’s Waldo? where young readers can hunt for various people, animals or cultural artifacts as they relate to various Biblical stories. So, for example, the first scene is of “Noah, the good herdsman” has two colorfully illustrated pages. We are given a picture of a village of ancient Mesopotamia and readers are instructed to look for a guffa with wild animals in it (it explains what a guffa is), men and women drinking beer with a straw, soldiers wearing leather helmets, a man spreading tar on a guffa, wild animals, reapers, Noah’s wife grinding grain, bronze tipped weapons, Noah’s sons driving a goat heard, riverside pools, people playing a board game called Ur, an Olive press, a woman carrying water from the river, women doing laundry, a boy fishing on an animal skin float, hunters using a bow and arrow, and a charioteer being unkind to the poor.

A rather busy scene, like all the scenes in this book. There are sixteen in all, each related to a biblical tale (scripture references printed) and with the approximate years given (time frame is much broader in the case of Noah than in some of the later stories). These scenes give young readers a window into the cultures that these stories happened in and I found it fun reading this book with my daughter and explaining various elements on the page. There are children’s Bible’s which do a good job of telling the Bible stories, but the strength of this book is that it gives kids a fun way to learn some of the background (Ancient Near East cultures and Ancient Rome) which will help them to read their Bible’s well and awaken their imagination about how it all happened.

Of course my daughter is only five and didn’t have the attention span to go through more than a page or two of this book at a time (the puzzle search books she has are not quite this complicated). I think this book is a great book for children slightly older than my own. However, if you do read it with younger kids you will still have fun and there is a little red fox which is hidden in every picture for them to find. I would recommend this for young readers and Bible lovers. There is an answer key in the back for parents who also can’t find items (I used it myself, there is no shame here).

Thank you to Kregel Publications for providing me a copy of this kid’s book in exchange for this review.… (més)

Children love picture puzzle books because they are fun, intriguing, and provide more to do than just read a story. In The Lion Picture Puzzle Bible the author Peter Martin tells short stories beginning in the Old Testament with Noah and ending in the New Testament after the Cross with telling the good news. To these short re-tells, Len Epstein brings his delightfully humorous drawings that show a two--page spread image jammed full of people and activities that tell the story.

Factor into this the opportunity to find specific images that are hiding in the maze that is the whole illustration, and you have fun combined with learning a little more about those wonderful events and people that are in our Bible.

Some might say that these types of books make too much jest of such serious topics and happenings. I can agree with that but I also see it as an opportunity that lets the kids know that Christians do have a sense of humor and can see a bit of fun in much of life.

So I think Bible Picture Puzzle books have a place, albeit limited, in the homes of Christians.

About the book: Are you a super sleuth? Have you got an eagle eye? This book is a treasure trove of wonderfully detailed pictures from the world of the Bible. You will have hours of fun trying to find people and objects from ancient times. As you exercise your brain solving the puzzles, you will also become a real expert on the fascinating setting of some of the Bible’s greatest stories. Watch out for the wily fox. He’s hiding somewhere on every page.

DISCLOSURE; I was provided a complimentary copy by Kregel on behalf of Lion Hudson Publishing to facilitate a review of my honest opinion which is freely given.… (més)

5 Stars
Bible Detective
Peter Martin
Lion Children's Books
48 Pages Ages: 4+
Are you a super sleuth?
Have you got an eagle eye?

Back Cover: This book is a treasure trove of fabulously detailed pictures from the world of the Bible. You'll have hours of fun trying to find people and objects from ancient times, as well as scores of animals, birds—and even frogs. As you exercise your brain solving the puzzles, you'll also become a real expert on the fascinating setting of some of the Bible's greatest stories.

Bible Detective is similar to Where's Waldo in that you must find people and objects within a setting. Each spread has the landscape of a familiar Bible story. Buried within are ordinary objects of the time. In Noah's time, when he was a herdsman, before he built the ark, his village has soldiers, wild animals, olive trees, and goats wondering around the village. Can you find them?

In King Solomen's Jeruselem, objects unique to that time include pomegranate trees, chariots, horses, and the Queen of Sheba. All of these are waiting to be discovered. The Bible Detective will have you exploring the land of Abraham, Moses, and Egyptian slaves. If you are not sure what happened in Babylon, there is a blurb explaining something important about the place.

I like this book of puzzles. I like puzzles where you need to explore every part of it to find what you need or to find what is different. Having stored my memories of the Bible stories in a compartment labeled "childhood," working these puzzles refreshed my memory and ignited a renewed interest in them. I think the same can be true of anyone who works these puzzles. Or, maybe this is the first time you have heard one or more of these stories. I think you would enjoy learning of these lands for the first time.

The illustrations are detailed and nice to look at. Something is each illustration will catch your eye. As a bonus, a wily fox runs from spread to spread. Can you find him each time? Bible Detective is a great introduction to the Bible stories for kids of all ages. What better way to learn that when fun is a big part of the lesson? The book is colorful, yet toned down, similar to our image of the times.

I like the description of the time and the land on each spread. The book does not preach nor is it dogmatic. Each spread gives historical facts about the time and the land rather than going into scripture. Anyone interested in the Bible will enjoy these puzzles and learn something new. Sunday school teachers will find this book has many uses in the classroom. Individual study time to group activities, Bible Detective can invigorate any classroom.

This book will make a great gift for any child who enjoys puzzles and is interested in the Bible or for a child you would like to develop such an interest. Though written with children in mind, Bible Detective is interesting and unique enough to enthrall any adult.

received book from the publisher/originally reviewed at Kid Lit Reviews
http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2012/11/12/bible-detective-a-puzzle-search-book-by-pe...… (més)

Where's Waldo? Many a child has spent countless hours poring over a large picture book searching in vain for a funny man in a stocking cap, and his companions. Not much was learned in the process, however, and so Peter Martin has set out to change that. Working with illustrator Peter Kent, Martin has created "Bible Detective: A Puzzle Search Book," a book that rivals Waldo for fun, but also offers an education in the world of the Bible.

This colorful picture book includes seventeen puzzles with a variety of objects to search for. Women fighting over a well of water, nine yellow frogs, the Tabernacle furniture and Solomon's baboons-the variety of items to find is incredible. Bible scenes covered include David and Goliath, the census of Bethlehem, the siege of Lachish and Peter in Cornelius' house. The pictures are engrossing, the artwork detailed and engaging, and the material is true to the biblical period being explored.

Exploring is just the right term to describe how a young reader will feel as he or she peruses through this bright book. And for those who are quick to give up, there is an answer key in the back with all the scenes mapped out. The quality of this book is superb, and Bible references and dates are provided to allow the puzzle being studied to be properly placed in its specific context.

There are a variety of puzzle books that are available for young readers. But there are not many Christian puzzle books produced with this level of attention to detail and quality of workmanship. This book will compete with secular products well, and should enjoy a long press run. For Christian parents seeking to equip their children with any Bible-themed resource available, this book is a must-have. It will appeal to elementary and middle school-aged children, with the older ones more able to appreciate the manners and customs explained. Come to think of it, even high-schoolers could enjoy paging through this book with their younger siblings.

I encourage parents and grandparents to consider adding this book to their Christmas list this year. It is sure to please.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Lion Books (Kregel Publications). I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.… (més)