Resource Review: The Brick Builder’s Illustrated Bible (FREE GIVEAWAY!)

Some of the times I’ve felt most connected with my kids–since they were very, very small–have been enjoying books together. Grant it, this was often right before naptime. So there could have been good vibes all around. But there was something about their warm heads smelling of baby shampoo…and boy sweat. My kids sweat a lot. Maybe it’s because they were so rowdy that I loved this time when we were at last not moving or wiggling as much. My daughter was the only one who was much of a cuddler, so finally, we were feeling connected. At one point I calculated we were reading about 45 minutes a day.

And I know I’m not the only mom amazed by the steel trap that is a child’s mind. Before my son could read, he could “read” me, pretty much verbatim, the story of David and Goliath we’d read over. And over. And over in his children’s Bible.

That’s the thing about reading together, right? Reading, in its own way, catechizes our kids. We’re connecting building their brains and their character with a relationship. Over and over, we’re lining their minds with thoughts that form worldviews.

So I’m tickled pink for this free review of Zondervan’s brand new Brick Builder’s Illustrated Bible for kids. It’s a great way to pique kids’ interest in the Bible by using toys that already have them imagining and role-playing.

In fact, when my package of these Bibles arrived, you should have seen my nine-year-old’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree. “Can we KEEP one?”

More reading together, Son? Yes, please. If you’re still looking for a great gift idea for one of your kids, grandkids, niece, nephew, or little friend of yours–you may have just found it. Bonus: I’m seeing it for around $12 at the time of this post, for a book 224 pages long. (And keep reading for a FREE GIVEAWAY at the end of this post!)

Overall Impressions

The Brick Builder’s Illustrated Bible satisfied my need for a “wow” factor: As in, my son was stoked to receive it and look at it. At nine, he’s been around the block a few times , so he’s starting to be more interested in actual Scripture so he can get more details to the stories–which is what we want, right? So the basic 36 stories in simple language were a little below his interest level in the Bible. A younger child, however, might find this right up his or her alley.

Kids can, of course, understand language far above their reading level. So younger children who know what Legos are, and are interested? That’s your perfect audience, in my mind.

A side note: For actual Lego aficionados, know this isn’t a Lego-branded book. I.e., the faces of the characters will not look exactly like Lego minifigures.

(There is an illustrated Bible using actual Legos, but having checked it out from the library, it’s not a Bible for kids. There are pools of Lego blood in some rather violent scenes, a Lego baby being born…not to sound too parochial, but know that version would leave a lot of mommy-explaining to do in conversations beyond age-appropriateness. Most reviews state it’s strictly for older kids and adults. And I’m not sure that author is a Christian, which means his interpretation of the Bible would be through that lens.)

The book is very colorful, and because the characters are not minifigures, they have a greater range of engaging expression. To an adult eye, most of the illustrations will look computer-generated rather than a photo of actual bricks.

Characters are of a variety of skin tones (races); Jesus is the color of coffee with a decent amount of half-and-half.

Number of Stories: 36 (15 Old Testament, 21 New Testament)

Accuracy (1-10): 8

Doesn’t use actual Scripture or quotes. Remains fairly true to the Bible. (Some children’s Bibles draw conclusions that aren’t really in the text.)

As an example of more iffy accuracy, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace does state “The men revealed that God had sent an angel to protect them from the flames.” After I read this story to my son, we read the Scripture version out loud to compare–and this sentence isn’t actually backed up by the text. (We don’t know the identity of the man in the furnace with them; some speculate it could have been Jesus. King Nebuchadnezzar assumes it was an angel.)

Eve is said to take a “big bite” of the fruit and it was “delicious!” Again, not actually in the text. These instances may sound picky to some. But since I’m evaluating accuracy, this is what would cause my to review this at an 8 rather than a 9.

Level of engagement for targeted age group (scale of 1-10): 9

This is targeted at 6-10 year olds (see note below at ratio of pictures to text), with a reading level of grade 2-3. In my opinion, it could be read aloud to younger children. Like I said–the “wow” factor is definitely there for the Lego-lovers.

Ratio of pictures to text/usability for early readers

Each page has around 50 words per page (again, U.S. grades 2-3 for children developing normally. One page I evaluated rated a 3.22 on the Flesch-Kincaid grade level scale). It’s easier to read than, say, The Berenstain Bears.

From my experience with my own kids and their development–and interest in Legos!–this probably means it engages kids upward of 3.5 years who have the attention span of regularly being read to. Eyeing it, the font size looks to be about 12 point. It does contain words like pharaoh, Egyptians, beautiful, disciples, and neighbor which may need a little help from a parent.

Other Picky Details

Publisher: Zonderkidz, of Zondervan (owned by HarperCollins), 224 pages.

Release: 4 December 2018.

Binding: Hardcover, but it’s glued, not sewn (this affects whether the book “mousetraps” shut, and some of its durability).

Illustrator: Antony Evans

Written by: Emily Dammer

Application Ideas

• Have your kids create their own brick scenes from Bible stories!
• If you trust them with, say, your phone’s camera, they can even create their own “story” of multiple scenes.
• Encourage kids to create their own brick comic strips of Bible stories–and even act them out. You might even find your kids digging into the Bible to get all the cool details. Remember: the more they engage with the story, the more empathy with the characters…and the more the story becomes embedded in who they are.
• Create great memories around reading Bible stories. Whip up a cup of hot chocolate, burrow in some blankets, let them stay up a few minutes to read “just one more.” Don’t miss these ideas on Spiritual Disciplines for Real Families: Fun Ways to Study God’s Word (with FREE printables).

As much as I’m talking about accuracy here, it’s fine with me if my kids imagine what the characters were thinking or saying, internalizing the characters’ reality. And I love it when they add humor. Isn’t it great to create fun memories around Bible stories?

Ready for the giveaway?!

Leave a comment below. I’ll select one commenter for the free giveaway this Friday, November 30!

Feel free to share with friends!

Like this post? You might like

• The Spiritual Disciplines for Real Families series
• Free printable! 32 Ways to Make the Most of Reading with Kids
• 10 Prayer Tools and Printables for Families
• Freebie: Print 31 Scriptures to pray for your kids!