Monday, January 26, 2009

Seek and Find Bible Stories by Carl Anker Mortensen

Seek and Find Bible Stories by Carl Anker Mortensen
Illustrated By: Jose Perez Montero
Geared Towards: Ages 6-9
Published By: Zonderkidz
Publication Date: October 2008
ISBN-13: 9780310717591

Parents, grandparents, educators... Do you remember Where's Waldo? the hidden picture books in which readers had to locate Waldo with his red and white stripped hat? If you have fond memories of this book line like I do, then you'll be thrilled to learn that Zonderkidz has recently released a very similar style book in which readers travel through the Old and New Testaments of the Bible searching out Mike. Mike is a young boy who enjoys his Bible stories so much that he imagines himself right into the middle of them.

Children will enjoy searching for Mike in colorful, incredibly detailed and artfully captured two page story layouts from 28 of the best Bible stories ever told. But wait, the fun doesn't stop there. For each double page layout there's also a short story blurb that ties in with the illustration, then there's a short Bible reading section so that you can relate back to the original Biblical tale, and there's also several questions that test both the reader's understanding of the Bible story and observation skills [based on the picture].

I believe parents and teachers will be very pleased with this Seek and Find book because it really does combine the best of both worlds. Through the pages of this fun book children can take an exploratory learning adventure through some of the most significant stories of the Bible. Meanwhile they'll enjoy the challenge of seeking out Mike and the other listed items. Entertaining and educational, this is a book your children can pick up over and over again. I have to say that while the ages listed on the book are 6-9yrs, I definitely think slightly younger children could do this book as well. Don't get me wrong, it's not an easy book. It's challenging, but it's so much fun. My 5 year old was able to do it, it just took her some time to look. She enjoys that though, and I think it's a great way to stimulate her cognitive skills. The fact that my daughter can read certainly didn't hurt because she was able to read for herself what she was supposed to look for. This certainly isn't a prerequisite though as a child who is unable to read but who has the skill to stay focused while searching out the hidden items could easily have an older sibling or adult read for them what they're to look for.

On a side note, we gave a copy of this book to our best friend's 6 year old for Christmas, and he too loved it.

OUR RATING: 5 hearts

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