Animals of the Bible For Young Children

Marie-Hélène Delval and illustrated by Aurélia Fronty

Animals of the Bible For Young Children is a picture book for children aged 4-8 about the different animals who appear in the Bible (with the proviso that ‘this selection of Bible stories, paraphrased for younger children, uses language and imagery appropriate for children while remaining faithful to the spirit of the biblical texts.)

The stories include; the creation of the world, the Garden of Eden (the snake), Noah and the Ark (the raven and the dove), Moses (the frogs, flies, grasshoppers and bees) and many stories about Jesus (sheep, doves, scorpion, camel, pigs, sparrows, hens, a rooster and fish). There is one story that I think should have been left out, though; the story of Samson catching three hundred foxes, tying their tails together, putting a torch between their tails and letting them run wild in the enemies’ fields. That is a horrible story of animal cruelty and bound to lead to nightmares.

Aurélia Fronty’s pictures are great fun with a lovely use of colours and textures. I especially liked the hippopotamus with a benign expression on his face and the lovely sea creatures swimming through the dark water.

Animals of the Bible For Young Children is best for children who have attended Sunday School regularly and are familiar with Bible stories; otherwise references to the various characters, their actions and the motivations for their actions will be confusing.

Marie-Hélène Delval’s previous books include Psalms for Young Children, Images of God for Young Children and The Bible for Young Children.

Katy Gerner