Polly and the Screen Time Overload
Betsy Childs Howard, Illustrated by Samara Hardy
Crossway, 2022

This is one of a growing series of Crossway children’s books aimed at 3-7 year-olds. One of the books in the series – Meg is not Alone – is our 2-year-old’s favourite book of all time. This book addresses a vitally important issue for parents today, through a story of a girl going to her grandparents’ farm for the holidays and wasting a chunk of it by playing on a tablet given to her by a childless aunt. The message definitely connected with our girls, aged 6 and 4. This is a tremendous series from Crossway and I’m looking forward to seeing future offerings.

Andrew S. Ballitch (ed.)
Crossway, 2023

It’s fair to say that in the circles in which I move there’s been a fair bit of negativity surrounding Crossway’s decision to publish new editions of John Owen’s works. After all, the nineteenth century edition by my RPCS predecessor William Goold is still available to buy thanks to its republication by Banner of Truth. Yes that edition missed a few bits, and didn’t include his Latin work, but it’s still pretty much complete.

I beg to differ however. Editions of Owen’s works were produced in 1721, 1826 and 1850. Why should the 1850 edition have to be definitive for all time? The Banner editions were produced over 50 years ago and have never so much as been retypeset. There are no explanatory footnotes, and the Latin quotations remain untranslated. That’s not necessarily a criticism – but neither should Crossway be criticised if they feel there is scope for improvement.

For my part, if someone is starting out, it would be a no-brainer to get the new edition. Yes Crossway’s edition has almost twice the number of volumes, so it would be expensive to buy the lot at once, but Owen must be the most owned-but-unread set on ministers’ shelves. So just buy the ones you’re going to read and get the Goold set in Logos for searching.

Is the new edition perfect? Almost. It is beautifully presented, which seems to make Owen easier to read almost from the off. I do find it strange that their footnotes to Owen’s other works don’t reference which volume of Crossway’s edition they are (or will be) in. A reference to his Latin work even directs you to the edition by Soli Deo Gloria, which will seem particularly strange once the Crossway set is complete. Overall the footnotes are very helpful, though I found it strange that Owen’s referencing an alleged comment from the Pope about the Bible being a fable (p. 109) didn’t contain an explanatory footnote, and had to use google to learn what he was referring to.

I also found the introduction to this volume to be a bit partisan, particularly in its claim that baptists simply took the regulative principle to its logical conclusion. We are also told that unlike the radicals, the Reformers and Puritans saw the ‘need for the safeguards of tradition’. Owen would beg to differ, speaking as he does about ‘the unfaithful repository of tradition’ (p. 86).

Overall though it’s a very promising first volume in the series, and is so beautifully produced that it pretty much tempts you to read Owen.

The Biggest Story Bible Storybook
Kevin DeYoung (author); Don Clark (illustrator)
Crossway, 2022

This is the pinnacle of a seven-year combination between DeYoung and Clark. First there was ‘The Biggest Story’ (2015 – a kids book that can be read in one sitting) along with accompanying ‘animated short film’ (2016). Then there was ‘The Biggest Story ABC’ Board Book (2017 – aimed at kids aged 1-3). Now (well, 2022), we have a full story Bible. But although this is the pinnacle, it isn’t the end of the story because this summer will see the release of a 6-volume curriculum ($149.99) produced by ‘a team of pastors, children’s ministry workers, and content creators’, but based on the 104 lessons in the Bible Storybook. So there’s a fair bit riding on it!

For the last few weeks, we’ve been working through it with our girls (5 and 3). Admittedly, they’re a bit below the recommended age of 6-12. However I was encouraged to start it after one guy I follow on twitter said of his kids the same age: ‘It’s a lot to take in, but at 5 [the girl] learned that the whole Bible is about Jesus. At 3 [the boy] knows that Jesus is the snake crusher.’

He also said in his summary that it is ‘Clear and natural in connecting the OT to Christ. It doesn’t
sanitize or apologize for Gods wrath, nor does it tell those portions in a sensationalized overly
terrifying way.’ I would say that’s a pretty accurate summary. I would add that I found it refreshing that events like The Day of Atonement (‘A Tale of Two Goats’) featured, as well as the usual stories that make it into kids Bibles. The pictures aren’t too abstract, though the book does feature the biggest burning bush you’ve ever seen. ‘That’s a tree, not a bush’ our kids said, and it was hard to disagree.

Is there anything not to like? To be honest I was surprised that there are attempts at humour in nearly every story. None of which I’ve been able to bring myself to read aloud. For example: Adam and Eve ‘had another son who watched sheep. His name was Abel (that is, the son’s name was Abel; we don’t know what they called the sheep’).

There are also occasional parts where I’m not sure DeYoung’s summary is accurate or his interpretation is right. For an example of both take the following: ‘When Moses learned he was a Hebrew, just like the slaves, he became angry with the Egyptians [is that really an accurate summary of Exodus 2:11?]. He was so angry that he killed one of the Egyptians and hid him in the sand. Moses was going to be a great deliverer [I assume that’s sarcasm and takes the usual modern interpretation that Moses was a murderer. Even though the interpretation of this event in the New Testament would say otherwise (Acts 7:25)].

I presume there are people out there who read every word of a Story Bible to their kids and don’t ad lib at all. If someone was going to do that, they might be better with Catherine Vos (as revised and republished by Banner in 2021). Or actually, David Helm (The Big Picture Story Bible – also Crossway, and also leading to a few spin-offs). Helm’s is shorter and probably ideal for a slightly younger age (eg 4-5, rather than 5-7+). But having gone through Helm a fair few times, we were ready for something a bit more substantial for our oldest, and DeYoung’s book seems to fit the bill in terms of the structure and the connections to the Bible’s big story. Even if you have to tweak it a bit as you go.

Meg is Not Alone
Author: Megan Hill; Illustrator: Samara Hardy
Crossway, 2023

This is a delightful kids’ book about a little girl whose parents accidentally leave her at church one Sunday, and how her ‘church family’ look after her, contact her parents, and keep her amused till her parents come back and get her. It was a real hit with our girls (aged 5 and 3). There is a note to children afterwards by the author who explains that it’s actually a true story of what happened to her when she was little. From that day on she came to see church not simply as something she went to, but as something she was part of – with opportunities for her to serve others as well.
Really great!