Children's Book Review #2: One Sentence Storybooks

 I had the privilege of reviewing One Sentence Storybooks: Bible Favorites (Nancy I. Sanders) for Tyndale Publishers this month and I was pleasantly surprised. The set of beginning-reader books comes in a cute little box that is great for storing the ten stories that come included. My two-and-a-half year old is obviously a pre-reader, but she really enjoys the simple storyline and the variety contained in these books. I like that these stories are an opportunity for my daughter to "dip her feet in the water" both in terms of reading and tasting Biblical truths.

The books are perfect for beginning readers, with each page adding one simple phrase to the previous, concluding with one full sentence. I will use my daughter's favorite book, The Sad Son (based on the story of the Prodigal son), as an example. The first page has the simple phrase: "The sad son" along with a colorful illustration. The next page adds "The sad son came back home" and so on, until the final sentence reads, "The sad son came back home to his dad for a hug."

If you are looking for theological depth, this is probably not the product for you. They are very simplified stories. However, though this threw me off at first, it turned out to be something that drew my daughter into the Biblical truths more than some of our more complex Bibles and Bible stories do. In The Sad Son my daughter grasped the concept of a repentant son coming back home to his welcoming father. She hadn't seemed to grasp that concept in other renditions we had read. The simplicity of the story drew her in, and she often talks about "the sad son getting a hug from his daddy."

Each book concludes with a Truth to Learn, Verse to Say, and Prayer to Pray that correlates with the story, as well as a bonus section that has little activities children can go back through the story to do. I love watching my little one delight in these books, and love how I can have simple yet meaningful conversations about God and His truths through the catalyst of these single-sentence stories.

I was given a copy of this collection from Tyndall House Publishers for review. All reflections and opinions are my own.