The Whole Bible Story: Everything That Happens in the Bible: Young Reader’s Edition is a great overview of the Bible geared for young readers, written by Dr. William H. Marty and Troy Schmidt. Throughout this 304-page book, children (or new Christians) can learn about key stories in the Bible and start to get acquainted with Biblical figures such as Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Samuel, Mary, Peter, and Paul.

I like how the authors begin each of their 19 book sections with background information pertaining to that section, including a list of Biblical figures, information about the setting, and a list of fun and relevant facts. (In the section “A Kingdom Comes,” one of the fun facts is that the Book of Samuel is one of only two books in the Bible that mention cheese; the other one is Job.)  Reading the text of this book is not exactly like reading a summary of the Bible; instead, we hear the voice and the interpretation of the authors, as if we are listening to a sermon or theology lecture. The authors write in a captivating manner which will keep kids interested – and make them want to open their Bibles to read the rest of these stories.