STORY BIBLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, by Anne De Vries, Paideia Press, 1978, 254 pages. (Reviewed by Gertrude Hoeksema) 

Originally written in the Dutch language, under the title of Kleuter Vertelboek Voor de Bijbelse Geschiedenis, this story Bible was recently translated into English. It contains selected stories from both the Old and New Testaments, and was written for children from four to eight years old. 

Although the author’s charm as a story-teller has lost some of its appeal in the translation, his style is gentle and warm and sincere, and the stories are generally faithful to Scripture. However, in simplifying the Biblical narrative for young children, Mr. De Vries has at times departed from Biblical facts, as, for example, when he mentions Hagar and Ishmael, not as wife and child of Abraham, but merely as living there. In his efforts to get down to the level of a small child, the author tells the stories rather superficially, with no insights or explanations which even a small child would be able to understand. He misses the antithetical elements present in Scripture in such stories as the fall, Cain and Abel, and Noah. 

However, with these limitations, for basic, simple, and selected stories, this book can be recommended.