With thanks to Zonderkidz for sponsoring this post.
When my girls were small, one of their biggest pet peeves with church was that they always did the same Bible stories.
Whenever they went to summer camp, it would inevitably be:
- Daniel and the Lions’ Den
- David and Goliath
- Jonah and the Whale
- Joshua and the Walls of Jericho
- Saul on the Road to Damascus
With maybe some parables of Jesus thrown in.
Rebecca used to bemoan: do they not read any other parts of the Bible?
VBS tended to be the same thing–all the same Bible stories. Sunday School tended to be the same thing.
But it wasn’t just that they were all the same. Do you notice anything about them?
Women aren’t featured in them. They’re great stories, but if that’s all we tell, it can make girls feel like they’re not a central part of God’s story.
Girls should feature in God’s story, too.
Here’s one of my pet peeves about how churches often handle the stories involving women. A pastor can give a message about what lessons we should learn from Joseph in prison, and those lessons are supposed to apply to all of us, but if the pastor ever mentions Deborah or Martha or Esther, it’s usually because it’s a Mother’s Day sermon and it’s mostly for women.
So women can learn from men’s examples, but rarely are men asked to learn from women’s examples.
And so women’s stories in the Bible have often been relegated to footnotes, if they’re mentioned at all.
Take the first few chapters of Exodus, for instance.
The heroes in the book of Exodus are the women, and the first few chapters are full of them. Jewish men are nowhere to be found. It is Shiphrah and Puah, the Jewish midwives, who defy Pharaoh to save the Jewish babies. It is Moses’ mother and sister who save Moses, and the Princess of Egypt who adopts him. The women are doing the saving, and the men aren’t mentioned.
But how many of you know Miriam’sname, let alone the names of Shiphrah and Puah?
This under-emphasis of women’s stories can have a profound impact on a girl’s faith.
Will she see herself as part of Scripture, as part of God’s story, or will it feel like it’s a book written for people not like her?
That’s why I’m so excited about the Kingdom Girls’ Bible from Zonderkidz. I first heard about it from our Patreon group, where several people were raving about it. So I contacted Zondervan, and they agreed to sponsor some posts and podcasts so I could tell you about it!
What Is The NIV Kingdom Girls Bible?
NIV Kingdom Girls Bible is the Bible that will finally allow our young girls to see themselves represented in Scripture. Created for girls ages 8-12, this Bible is packed with all kinds of features that will draw your daughter into the pages of Scripture.
It has over 400 profiles of women in the Bible, like this one of Pharaoh’s daughter:
And at the beginning of each book of the Bible, they show which women are highlighted in that book. Look how Exodus actually includes the amazing midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, among others!
Take a look at the story of Bathsheba.
The Kingdom Girls’ Bible emphasizes that Bathsheba didn’t have a choice, and how she wasn’t doing anything wrong when David saw her and had her brought to him. And it emphasizes that this is a longstanding problem that women face throughout millennia–but that God can use our stories and our pain.
I’m so grateful for a Bible that stresses that she was not a temptress, and that she did not commit adultery! She wasn’t at fault.
What features are in the Kingdom Girls’ Bible?
Action Plans Action plans, sprinkled throughout this Bible, are small snippets in which the reader is invited to meditate on specific Bible verses that speak to character and behaviour. Then, they give suggestions on practical ways she can apply these verses in her everyday life. They make it extra fun by suggesting activities that include music, art, and outdoor activities.
Letter To Myself This is such a beautiful addition to the Bible. The Letter To Myself add-in asks the reader to reflect a bit more deeply on how we ought to think about ourselves and the people they would like to become.
Step Into The Story Helpful snippets add more context about the story being told and gentle advice on how to live more God-glorifying lives.
Subject Index The NIV Kingdom Girls Bible also includes a helpful index for when you or your daughter wants to find something specific to read about, like what it means to be courageous or to pursue a life of joy.
Book Synopsis The NIV Kingdom Girls Bible includes a helpful synopsis at the beginning of each Bible book. The information in this section helps the young reader better understand the historical context of what the people in the story were living through. It also provides a helpful summary of what the book reveals about God. There’s also a really cool list of notable women that the reader will encounter in that book!
And so much more!
Kingdom Girls Bible Includes Accurate Representation
I also appreciate that there doesn’t appear to be any “whitewashing.” So much of Biblical literature here in the West acts as if all biblical characters were white. Most of us are familiar with artwork that lightens the skin colour of Biblical characters so much that they are indistinguishable from your average white European. But we know that the people we read about, Jesus, Mary, Rahab, etc: They were not white. They should not be depicted as white.
The illustrations in the NIV Kingdom Girls Bible attempt to maintain authenticity when depicting well-known Biblical figures like Ruth, Deborah, and Sarah. This is important because it more accurately reflects who these people were AND because the Bible wasn’t written to just white people. It’s not just white people who read it. Everyone benefits from inclusion and representation.
Kingdom Girls Bible Presents an Elevated and Accurate View of Women And Girls
I found this Bible to be a powerful reminder that the God we worship is just as much involved in the lives of girls and women as He is in the lives of men. It’s a refreshing egalitarian take that reminds us just how much girls and women matter and what we can do when we step out in faith.
Never again will our girls have to wonder where they stand in God’s glorious plan. They can just pick up this Bible and immediately see for themselves the many parts that women have played in the Biblical narrative. They can see that women and girls are just as capable of standing up for their faith and allowing God to be the one who leads them (rather than relying solely on husbands, fathers, or pastors).
If you are looking for a Bible for your young daughter that will teach her who she is to God, I would highly recommend this one. (And yesterday when I checked it was 40% off on Amazon!)
i highly support The Kingdom Girls Bible
Zondervan created this Bible designed for girls, but really great for anybody! It’s time to read a Bible that helps girls and women feel included in the story. It’s healing, and it’s wonderful.
I think this is great. I am so glad that Zondervan has produced something like this. I am planning to give one to my youngest daughter as a first day of school gift.
When I first learned that the Bible stories took place in the Middle East and Africa, I wondered why everyone in the illustrated bible waa depicted as white or light tan. As a child or teenager it was a question I never thought to ask. I’m so glad to see a Bible that shows authenticity of the culture and includes females stories.
I looked through this bible. The illustrations are a step forward for ethnic accuracy, but they look dated already to me. I’m curious how a pre-teen perceives them. They also show all the people as beautiful with oval faces, pointy chins, generally clear skin and perfect teeth, and usually with abundant hair in styles that work best in illustrations. It’s an illustration style that gives a nod to manga-style illustrations, but I do wonder about the effects of putting that “women must be beautiful and in a specific way” message into a pre-teen bible. Those are minor criticisms; art is subjective. 🙂
My concern is that I saw one overt and a few indirect sections that gave the message of, “If you’re going through a bad time, if something bad is happening to you, then God is growing you – making you stronger, teaching you something.” (I can’t cite the pages because I loaned out my copy.) This message is potentially fine if the hard time is a teacher being mean to you or a friend pulling away. But considering how often ages 8-12 is when girls start to experience sexual assault, I’m really concerned about this message being in a child’s bible. I’m not saying this bible is bad overall. I’m just asking adults to be thoughtful about who you give it to.
I see there is one very critical, for specific reasons, review on Amazon for the purple softcover version of this Bible. I would be curious to hear Sheila’s take on that reviewers comments. From “D” on June 17, 2024. I didn’t want to paste the whole review here, but she takes issue with the content of the “fictional embellishments.”
I’m curious too. It seems to me that this reviewer doesn’t like the kind of thing this Bible is. If you don’t like the NIV translation’s word choices or bibles with “fictional embellishments,” maybe don’t buy an NIV Bible with illustrations and commentary in it??
I have only seen snippets of the profiles, but I imagine they were incredibly tricky to write. Women’s stories in the Bible often have very “adult” themes. I would say kudos to the author for trying to acknowledge those subtexts in a way that’s appropriate for tweens. This reviewer apparently thought the author was writing “fiction.” But every children’s Bible ever has had to walk this line; there’s no getting around it.
She might have a point about the Noah’s sons’ wives thing though. I don’t recall that story saying anything in particular about them being obedient, any more than their husbands were.
I would caution anyone on buying Bibles with focuses on the wrong topics, especially when it comes to a children’s BIble. They’re just learning who these people are, and fictional embellishments are teaching incorrect or misleading information.