Let’s Go! Bible Adventures: Real Bible Stories for Kids Who Love Trains, Tractors, Ice Cream Trucks, and More!
By Valerie Ellis, illustrations by Carolina Farias (Tyndale Kids)
Bibles and Bible story books aimed at different ages and life stages or special interests proliferate the market, and adults and children enjoy these books that seem to be written just for them.
Preschoolers are no different, and active little ones fascinated by anything with wheels, propellers, or floats will gravitate to Let’s Go! Bible Adventures: Real Bible Stories for Kids Who Love Trains, Tractors, Ice Cream Trucks, and More!
Houstonian Valerie Ellis’ rhyming Let’s Go draws the reader in with the promise, “God gave us the Bible to help us see God’s love never changes—it’s strong as can be!”
She asks how they got where they needed to go: “Did they drive a tractor, a cruise ship, a car?”
Argentine Carolina Farias’ illustrations make the pages move and facial expressions come alive, especially in the eyes, as the Bible stories answer the question.
Each entry starts with today’s zooming transportation preschoolers know, like cruise ships, cattle trucks, semis, rockets, submarines, dump trucks, police cars, cranes, and parade floats. The stories then contrast the actual Bible-times conveyance used, like arks, camels, wagons, fiery chariots, big fish, oxen-pulled carts, horses, angels, and donkeys.
The accounts end with short “What else?” summaries, small graphic takeaways, and a key labeled “Let’s Go,” with the assurance: “We’re on an adventure with God.”
Although not necessarily in Bible book order, the 21 Old Testament stories begin with Adam and Eve and conclude with Queen Esther. The back-to-back Elijah tales offer particularly engaging illustrations. The one about how God provides for the prophet juxtaposes an ice cream truck and ravens, and Elijah’s ascent to heaven compares a rocket ship to a fiery chariot.
The 20 New Testament narratives start with Jesus’ birth and close with Paul sharing God’s love. Especially touching is the contrast between a medevac helicopter and a four-friend-rope-powered pallet in the Mark 2:1-12 “Four Friends Bring a Man to Jesus” story.
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The volume closes with Paul’s chronicle that encourages sharing God’s love today using any transportation from skies above to seas below.
Although arranged somewhat chronologically, the accounts can be read in any order, possibly alternating Old and New Testament, choosing stories based on the season, or focusing on the boy’s or girl’s favorite modes of transportation.
Let’s Go! Bible Adventures makes a great birthday, Christmas, or just-because gift, especially when paired with a toy car, truck, helicopter, boat, train, or construction set, and/or Bible times transportation such as a small camel, donkey, chariot, Noah’s ark set, or even a pair of sandals. Either way, Let’s Go! will provide many happy moments of Bible Adventures at bedtime or anytime.
Kathy Robinson Hillman, former president
Texas WMU and Baptist General Convention of Texas
Waco
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