The Action Bible is a captivating read. It is hard not to enjoy the modern, comic book style of this youth Bible. I’ll admit I had to get out my Old Testament to cross-reference but delightfully found they stayed true to the Word.

The graphics are excellent and could you get any more interesting stories than those in the OT?

Illustrator Sergio Cariello has worked for both Marvel and DC Comics and is a Christian. His work on this book does not disappoint. It rivals any of the top secular illustrated works for kids.

One thing this book does not do, however, is explain the tougher parts of the Bible to kids. There is a lot of fighting and killing, particularly in the OT. While there is some narrative commentary to explain the history and situation of the scene, it cannot replace the apologetic explanation that parents will need to have ready.

The book lists the Bible versus that each section is based on so you can readily reference it with your kids. It will be important to fill in the story and put it into context for young readers otherwise it may just appear to be another graphic novel with death and fighting and killing.

It is also important to note that some of the tougher issues – such as the townspeople in Sodom wanting to rape the angels, have not been made very obvious. As well, the book only presents the historical stories recorded in the Bible as it wouldn’t make sense to try and illustrate the Psalms or Proverbs.

Also, in the OT the book presents the stories chronologically – how they appear in the Bible – but in the NT section it skips between the Gospels as it illustrates the life of Jesus.

There are also images of Paul writing to the different churches and a summed up version of what his letters said. It reveals the unfortunate fate for Paul – stating that he was beheaded at the order of Emperor Nero.

There are also two pages dedicated to summing up other letters in the NT including Hebrews, James, Peter and John.

Two pages have been dedicated to Revelation and are a pair of the most graphically stunning to sum up the apocalyptic book.

The final page, one of my favourites, is an image of Jesus knocking on a door and a summary of what he says to the seven churches in Asia. It ends by inviting the reader to let Jesus in.

For those who find the whole word of God too long to take in a single comic the Action Bible is also available as OT and NT versions only.

I would recommend this book – or the shorter versions – for a boy or girl aged 8+.