The Big Picture Story Bible… Now with Audio CDs!

If you’ve been reading here for a while or have perused our archives you already know how much we love The Big Picture Story Bible. If you aren’t familiar with this wonderful children’s Bible, please go read Sarah’s review of it from last summer.

If you don’t already have a copy of The Big Picture Story Bible, now’s the time to get one because as of October 2010 the book comes with two audio CDs of the author reading the unabridged text! I have the older edition, but a friend of mine who has the newer edition let me borrow the CDs and we (my toddler and I) have been listening to them for the past few days. My almost-two-year-old is still a bit young to follow the storyline, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised that she actually has been able to follow along a little bit. Slightly older kids whose parents have read them the book will, I imagine, be delighted to have the CDs. There’s a chime to indicate when to turn the page so they can follow along with the book, but they work just as well without the book. They’d be especially nice for long car trips or as bedtime listening!

The CDs are a straightforward reading, not dramatized, but I think they’re great. I’m one of those people who loves making connections with the authors of books that I love, so the fact that it’s David Helm reading the text is sort of thrilling for me. The only thing I don’t particularly like is the frequent chime to indicate a page turn, but I was able to tune it out after a while and I do appreciate that it allows older kids to follow along with the book.

The new edition has an image of a CD in the upper righthand corner, so make sure it’s there if you’re ordering online. Unfortunately, the audio CDs aren’t currently available on their own. Hopefully the kind folks at Crossway will realize that those of us who already have the book would love the option of being able to purchase (or download) the audio without having to buy a second book!

PS Happy Valentine’s Day! We had bread machine cinnamon rolls for breakfast and are going to try our hands at heart shaped-soft pretzels for an afternoon treat. How are you celebrating?