One of the questions parents frequently ask is when to begin reading the Bible to children.
In the past, that was the text for many homes, particularly during the 19th century, when books expressly for children were virtually unknown.While the topic of religion is excluded from public school curricula today, there are many books that cover the topic of spirituality.
Following are some picture books and short stories that will interest parents who want their children to have an introduction to religious beliefs:
THE CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED BIBLE retold by Selina Hastings, illustrated by Eric Thomas (Dorling Kindersley. $19.95) is a sumptuous collection of the best-loved verses from the Old and New Testaments. With 500 outstanding color illustrations, photographs and pictorial maps, these stories extend from Genesis to Revelation, from the Ark to the Acts of the Apostles. "The Children's Illustrated Bible" was prepared with the assistance of a panel of religious consultants, historians, educators and scholars. It is a beautiful read-aloud for the whole family to enjoy.
THE BIBLE STORYBOOK by Georgie Adams (Dial. $15.95) is a slimmer book with fewer selections appropriate for the beginning listener. Each story is just one or two pages, and Peter Utton's simple watercolor drawings enhance the text. "Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors" was a favorite pick for a 3-year-old who I read to recently.
BIBLE STORIES FOR YOUNG LATTER-DAY SAINTS by Emma Marr Peterson was first published in 1950 and has been reissued in softcover by Bookcraft ($8.95). This collection has 116 stories, each fewer than three pages. Two dozen black-and-white illustrations complete some of the more important verses from both Old and New Testaments.
Three other kind of religious books for children are prayer books, individual profiles of biblical characters and augmentation of old manuscripts.
A CHILD'S BOOK OF PRAYER IN ART (Dorling Kindersley, $12.95) is an example of the combining of a child's prayer with classical painting, both of which have deep religious meaning. Paintings such as Giotto di Bondone's "Forgiveness" are accompanied with a child's prayer about being forgiven. Other classical painters include George Romney (the 18th-century English painter), Domenico Ghirlandaio and Diego Valazquez and others. This generous-size prayer book is edited by Sister Wendy Beckett who is well-known for her BBC television art series, "Sister Wendy's Odyssey" and "Sister Wendy's Grand Tour."
MOSES retold and illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher (Holiday House, $15.95) is a stunning picture book outlining the life of Moses from his discovery as a baby in the bulrushes to his death and burial in the Valley of Moab. Fisher, an award-winning artist, has presented this dramatic story in deep desert colors. The bold shapes and shadows alone could be studied for their impact on the story.
Mordicai Gerstein found the legend of THE SHADOW OF A FLYING BIRD (Hyperion, $15.95) in the folk literature of the Kurdistani Jews and translated it from a 500-year-old manuscript written in a language called Neo-Aramaic. This version tells the story of the death of Moses as he pleads not be taken in death: "Let me be a fish in the sea. Let me be a sheep that eats grass on the hill . . . Only let me live."
The impressionistic drawings in vivid color and swirling shapes could be frightening to very young children, especially the animated angel of death surrounded by leaping tongues of flame. But "The Shadow of a Flying Bird" is a welcome addition to the folklore from ancient sources that have extended our view of the Bible.
These new books are only suggestions. Bookstores and libraries have many from which to choose that can serve as bedtime stories and special-occasion family reading.