Candle Bible Handbook by Terry Jean Day, Carol Smith

Candle Bible Handbook by Terry Jean Day, Carol Smith ISBN-13: 9781859855867 Paperback: 239 pages Publisher: Candle Books Released: March 14, 2014

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Travel through Bible history with this comprehensible exploration of the Bible, following the key narratives from Genesis to Revelation. Perfect as a child's first Bible reference, he will travel through Bible lands and times and discover how the people lived: the foods they ate, the homes they occupied, the clothes they wore, and the work they performed. There are sections of study questions throughout to further learning, as well as glossaries and FAQs to help understanding.


My Review:
Candle Bible Handbook is a Bible handbook that is suitable for children and adults. Certain events were summarized in a vague way to make it suitable for children (as in, Esther is 'entered in a contest'). The handbook did a good job of summarizing events, including how God interacted with His people.

There were many full-color photographs, maps, and drawings to illustrate important things or what an event might have looked like. There were colorful 3D "overview" illustrations of various cities, like Jerusalem at various times, Ephesus, Rome, and Athens, and of places like the Tabernacle Tent, Solomon's Temple, Herod's Temple, synagogues, and villages. I thought that the pictures were well-chosen and well-done.

For each book of the Bible, we're given an outline of what happened in which chapters, a summary of the main events in the book, information on some unusual things mention in that book, frequently asked questions about certain events (with brief answers), repeated themes in the book to look for when reading it, and several Study Questions to help bring out important points in that book. There's also a Who's Who and a glossary in the back.

The handbook focused on what is actually in the Bible rather than on speculation or controversy about that book of the Bible. I think most Christians would find this a useful, engaging handbook. I'd recommend this handbook to anyone wanting a basic Bible handbook, especially for tween- or teenagers.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.