Dorling Kindersley have just released two sticker books - one Old T, one New T. As you would expect with any DK product, they are beautifully produced and illustrated. Any family - or indeed primary school - would be happy to give them house room.
But actually that's the problem. They're beautiful, fun to use - and completely inoffensive. There's no gospel content at all - and Bible characters are given praise that's due to God. So Daniel was "a very smart man who interpreted writings", who had "followers" kneeling before him. Paul, likewise, is praised for having "the gift of healing". But you have to look hard to spot these things (they're by the stickers, not the main text) - and maybe you think I'm nit-picking.
But what really struck me is how easy it is to present a Bible story in a way that seems faithful to Scripture, and yet has no heart to it. The two pages on the crucifixion and resurrection describe some of what happened, but give no mention of why. No wonder it's inoffensive.
But the gospel should be offensive! It tells us we're helpless and hopeless without Christ. It's a challenge to me to be careful when choosing children's books - to check they are faithful not just to the events in a Bible story, but also the purposes of the living God, and how each event fits in His great story of redemption.
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