Bible Review: NKJV Courage Bible/NKJV Faith Bible

NKJV Courage Bible/NKJV Faith Bible.  Holman Bible Publishers, 2014, 1568 pages

Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15

Recommended for: ages 10-15

Bottom Line: An accurate, readable translation, comfortable text size and helpful inserts make this a good choice for reading along in family devotionals and church.

“Courage” is a red cover with a blue star and white letters meant to appeal to boys; “Faith” is a purple cover with metallic hot pink letters with a similar appeal to girls.  A flower-and-polka-dot-covered “Hope” and primary-colored “Power” will appear in June.  All these editions (in soft, imitation leather covers) have patterned edges and design variations in the insert pages, but the text and study materials are exactly the same.  These are basically “reading” rather than devotional or study Bibles, with no in-text features or book introductions.  The 11-point font makes it easy on young eyes as the kids read for themselves or follow along with the pastor in church.  All the words of Jesus are in red and certain cross-references (such as parallel accounts in the gospels) are included in the text.

The additional material is found on the inserts, and it’s more helpful than not.  At the front of the Bible are pages about how to study, a study skills checklist, a list of favorite stories, how to have quiet time, and more.  Page inserts scattered through the text include book groups (Law, Prophets, Gospels, etc.) with brief summaries of each book, a list of the names of God, Abraham’s family tree, names of Jesus, 12 apostles, life of Jesus (including small pictures), etc.  A simple concordance and eight full-color maps come at the end.  All these are simple study helps that will encourage a deeper understanding of the Bible’s unity and purpose, without  distracting from the text.

Value: 4 (out of 5)

For our previous Bible posts, type “Bible Reviews” in the search box and keep scrolling.  And here’s our post on Choosing Your Child’s First REAL Bible and our Comparison of major Bible translations.

Categories: Bibles and Bible Storybooks, Gift Books, Middle Grade

Cover images from christianbook.com