Description
The series is a total of three books and was written for preschoolers, beginning readers and independent readers. The stories were designed to enhance children’s spiritual understanding of the scriptures and ultimately lead them into independent reading and study of the Bible and Science and Health. The truth’s presented in them can provide a common discussion area for the adult and the child.
Book I contains stories from the Old Testament. The stories were written in the light of Christian Science. The illustrations were selected for their accurate rendering of realistic figures that resemble the people who lived during Bible times.
Book II contains stories that were taken from the New Testament. The stories, a total of 41 in all, are about the life of Jesus. The many illustrations help a child get a clearer image of what Jesus might of looked like as a boy, and then later as a young man. The illustrations also show images of many events in Jesus life that might not be available to children.
Book III contains 5 separate stories. Each story is complete in itself, but it has definite spiritual ties to the other stories in the book. The first story in Book III is about the Creation. It is solely based in Chapter I of Genesis. The illustrations enhance the understanding of the Creation. The second story is called “God + You = 1”. The story explains, in simple terms, about a child’s oneness with their Father. The many enjoyable illustrations are photos of children today. The third story is about the discoverer and founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy. It is written so that a child will find it interesting and educational. The illustrations are many and depict Mrs. Eddy’s life as a child, her discovery of the healing Science of Christ as an adult, and how it lead her to write Science and Health. The fourth story in Book III is about King James and how the Bible came to be assembled through his hard work. It is full of many interesting facts about our precious Bible. Finally is the story of Noah Webster and how his American dictionary opened up the spiritual meaning of the words that are found in the Bible.
The following 4 pages were taken as random examples of content from the three books:
First, there is an example of the “Suggestions for Use” page taken from Book I. A similar helpful page appears at the beginning of each book in the series.
Next, there is a sample page taken from Book I, the story of Noah and the Ark, where the animals are entering the Ark.
Then, there is a sample page taken from Book II, the story of Jesus in the temple as a boy.
Finally, there is a sample page from Book III, the story of “God + You = 1”.
Suggestions for the use of
Book One of the
“Lets Learn About” Series for Children
The suggestions for the reading of these stories have been divided into three groups. They are grouped as the preschoolers, the beginning readers, and the independent readers. The illustrations for the stories have been selected to help with the flow of the story and also to assist the many children who learn best from pictures that accompany words. For the most part, the pictures were selected for their accurate rendering of realistic figures that resemble the people in Bible times.
Preschoolers – In preparation to read to the child, it would be advisable to read the story to yourself, noting any words that will need clarification as to the meaning. A familiarization with the illustrations would be good since they can be a focus of discussion during the story. It also might be helpful to think about a couple of simple comprehension questions prior to reading the story to the child. These could be brought in at the end to help tie it all together. Ideas for the questions might be taken from the last page of the story called “Find and Read”.
Beginning Readers – Both the adult and the child, working together, can read the stories. When it is the child’s turn to read a sentence or two, the adult can assist with the difficult words to keep the flow of the story going. Discussion of the illustrations and the message of the story will be part of the reading process both during the reading and at the end of the story.
Independent Readers – The independent reader can read the story by themselves but an adult could be sitting with them as a listener. A discussion of the illustrations can be done to further enhance comprehension of the story. This group, when ready, will begin the transition into the “Find and Read” page at the end of the Bible story.
The “Find and Read” section at the end of each story is a section that will enable the independent reader to transition into reading directly from the Bible. A familiarization with difficult words could also precede the actual reading. An activity might be to have the child, when ready, learn how to read the citations listed on the Find and Read paper, and then learn how to mark them in the Bible. The adult will be a partner in this whole process and hopefully the effort that is made will establish the Bible as a beloved guide and friend in the child’s life.
Excerpt from story of Noah and the Ark:
Most people laughed at Noah. They did not understand why he was building a boat because he lived in a desert where there was no water. But Noah didn’t listen to them. He only listened to God.
God told Noah that the Ark was to have 3 floors in it with one big door and one window. There were to be parts of the Ark that were just for the animals and parts of the Ark just for the people.
When it was finished, Noah and his family gathered up baskets full of food and lots of water for them and for all the animals. They put it inside the Ark and onto the shelves that had been made for it.
Now it was time to go out and look for all the animals and birds and bring them to the Ark. This they did and they lined them all up beside the Ark. It looked just like a parade as they marched side by side in through the big door and into the boat.
When all the animals were safely inside, Noah called his wife, his sons and their wives. He told them that it was time to go inside because the rain was going to start. So they all went in and shut the door. That, night the rain began to fall. They could hear it on the roof, but Noah and his family felt safe in the Ark because they knew God was right there with them. They all thanked God for taking care of them. The animals were peaceful too because they also felt God’s love for them and they were not afraid.
Excerpt from story about Jesus in the Temple when he was twelve:
Jesus was in the middle of a group of wise men and teachers. He was answering all their questions about God. The men were surprised at how much Jesus knew about the kingdom of heaven because he was only 12 and had never studied these things.
Jesus’ Mother asked him why he had not returned home with them. He told her that she should not of been worried. Didn’t she know that he was doing what his Father in heaven wanted him to be doing?
Jesus knew that God was his Father. He listened to God and did what God told him to do. We are also God’s children. Just as we are obedient and listen to our parents, we also are obedient and listen to our Father which is in heaven and obey him.
Jesus went home with his parents and he stayed with them until he grew to be a man. During this time he became more loving and understood many things because he listened and obeyed God in everything that he said and did.
Excerpt from story God + You = 1:
Oh dear, is that added wrong? 1+1 is supposed to equal 2. But this is not about adding numbers; it is about you and God.
You and God are one, not two. Jesus told us that he and his Father were one. So are you one with God, who is your Father and Mother.
Because you and God are one, He is near you always. There is no place you can go that he is not there.
Okay, pick some places where you might be in a day. You might be in your room at home, in your school, outside in the yard, in the swimming pool, at the soccer field, at the store, or up in a plane. He is in all the places that you picked. Why? Because YOU are there.
God is everywhere that you are because you and He are one. Wherever you are, he is right there. He is with you all day, everyday, always there when you want Him. You can never be separated from him. Nothing in the whole world can ever take God’s love away from you.