Welcome to the Christian Children’s Book Scavenger Hunt! Follow the loop through ten authors’ sites (beginning with this page, Stop #1), collecting/writing down the clues in order so you can be in the running to win one of three sets of books and a children’s Kindle Fire! The hunt runs from 9/13 at noon Mountain time until 9/15 at midnight Mountain. This contest is open to international entrants. Three winners will receive:
FIRST PRIZE: All 12 books plus a Kindle Fire 7 for Kids!
SECOND PRIZE: All 12 books
THIRD PRIZE: All 12 books
There is no purchase necessary to win. But we do hope you write down titles that intrigue you to check out at the bookstore or library if you don’t win!
On this hunt, I’m introducing my new book, GOD GAVE US THE BIBLE. I wrote this book because there is a huge group of kids who are growing up reading the various books in the God Gave Us Series (Heaven, Christmas, Easter, Love, Angels, Family, et al), and I thought Mother Bear and Little Cub were the perfect friends to help little ones learn how they’re a big part of God’s unfolding story too! In the book, I cover 45 favorite Bible stories, and David Hohn has done a beautiful job with his illustrations, bringing the stories to life.
7 Reasons You Should Read a Storybook Bible
#1 Starts a Healthy Habit Early: Reading the Bible can be daunting, and many believers never do! This year I’m reading it chronologically via a Bible app and listening to “The Bible Recap” podcast, and am in a Facebook group where we discuss the day’s reading…all of which helps me keep on track (I’ve been derailed many times before). I grew up in Sunday School and was always familiar with the “big” Bible stories because of children’s Bibles/storybooks, but it always seemed like something you accomplished and then set aside, not something that was a personal habit. I think that introducing your children to Scripture-reading early on in life will serve them well through adulthood. If they can see you reading too, and you incorporate a storybook Bible for them, then it becomes a “Mommy/Daddy and Me” thing, and you can “graduate them up” to the next level as they grow, eventually getting them into their very own “real” Bible.
#2 Makes Scripture Engaging: While I think it’s very important that parents model reading a “real” Bible for kids, showing them how a storybook Bible isn’t a make-believe story, a children’s version is a great way to start. I love beautiful illustrations—to this day, even a good meme on Instagram, paired with Scripture, can make me think about the Word in a fresh way.
#3 Teaches Respect and Love for God: One of the main things I want our littlest disciples to learn in God Gave Us the Bible is that the Lord wants a relationship with us….that Scripture is as relevant to us today as it was for those people thousands of years ago. Reading about others in active relationship with him (throughout the ages) helps little ones form understanding about God’s strength, his power to intervene, his frustration about sin, his encouragement to live within his boundaries, and the importance of trust.
#4 Shows How God Speaks to Us: Sometimes I wish God would just text me or talk to me like he did with people in the Old Testament! Through Scripture, we can show children how we learn from others’ stories in Scripture, and apply those timeless Scriptural truths to our own lives. Little ones are pretty concrete thinkers; we can introduce them to how the Holy Spirit encourages us to think about certain truths at certain times as they grow. For now, reading about people in active relationship with the Lord (active enough to hear from him) is a vital first step.
#5 Introduces Them to Jesus in Context: Learning about Jesus in context with the Old Testament is so important. After all those books detailing how God’s people worshipped him, failed him, and then returned to him, we begin to see how important it was that God sent us a Savior. As Christians, we tend to focus on the New Testament. But there’s a reason the Old Testament is still part of our sacred text. It’s the history of the faith, important to all believers.
#6 Helps Them Understand Love and Grace: These are the basics I wanted to bring across in God Gave Us the Bible. That God loves us, but we are as sinful as any biblical person ever was; thankfully because of Jesus, we are forgiven and covered by his grace.
#7 Gets Them Thinking About Their Own Relationship: I’m signing copies of my book with “You are a part of God’s story too!” This is because I want kids to understand that as God-followers, we’re still responsible to be in relationship with him and be his hands and feet on earth.
Lisa T. Bergren is the author of over 60 books with a total of more than 3 million books sold. She resides in Colorado Springs, CO with her husband and three big kids.
GOD GAVE US THE BIBLE is available at your local bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and more!
Scavenger Hunt Clue to Write Down: Piglet: “How
Link to Next Stop in the Hunt: Head on over to Christie Thomas’s site to read her post and collect the next clue!
BUT WAIT! Before you go, I’m offering 3 special bonus prizes, only available on this page. If you: subscribe to my enewsletter (green box, top right) and/or follow me on Amazon, Bookbub, goodreads, and Facebook, you could win a copy of my Good Book for Kids, useful to introduce the preteen crowd to Scripture. The enewsletter subscription is mandatory; I promise not to overwhelm your inbox. But the other “follows” give you additional chances at winning—do any or all! This mini-giveaway is USA only. The big scavenger hunt prizes are open to those outside the USA. To be in the running for The Good Book for Kids, enter on this Rafflecopter form below. Winners will be drawn on Monday and posted on this Rafflecopter form and I’ll notify winners via email too.