The World of the Old Testament

December 13, 2019

Gr 4-6-Old Testament vocabulary gets a fresh take in this kid-friendly Bible guide. Certain key words found in the Old Testament are explained, such as agriculture, sacrifice, divination, and slavery, which are discussed over a spread and accompanied by simple illustrations to aid readers' understanding. Although the book doesn't contain back matter, the introduction clarifies what "we" know and what "we" don't know about the Old Testament. The text breaks down the difference between myth and history and how the Old Testament uses both. The work maintains a fairly unbiased tone and uses simple wording to explain complex topics. For instance, the page about slavery shows an illustration of a person sleeping on hay with a donkey. The text tells readers, "Some slaves were cared for as members of the family-but others were treated no better than animals." Each spread contains a section called "In the Bible" that cites multiple examples of the topic in the Bible and identifies the corresponding verse. VERDICT This work offers a glimpse into the Old Testament for young readers, but the term guide could cause some confusion.-Anna Taylor, Darien Library, CT

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