For the reader looking to get a picture of how God has touched us on Earth, Thomas Nelson Publisher has provided the NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible. The book is arranged from Old to New Testament and uses the actual verses from the NKJV of the Bible to recount 250 "stories," starting with Genesis and the beginning of the world and ending with our "Final Victory" in Revelation.
As the book points out in the foreword, it is important to remember that this is not the Bible. While the entire book is comprised of verses from the Bible, it does still leave out most of the what you will find in an actual Bible. From a format perspective, that is what required the most adjustment for me when reading. I kept expecting to see verses with which I am very familiar, only for them to be missing in this collection.
However, that is the point of this book. Thomas Nelson Publishers set out to create an “heirloom edition [that] provides readers with the tales of the Bible in an easy-to-navigate, storybook format.” I believe that they have achieved this goal. I am often concerned with devotions or companions that will interpret the verses in a way that does not hold to the true meaning or content of an actual Bible. By maintaining the format (NKJV), Thomas Nelson was able to alleviate those concerns for me. I was also able to locate the Biblical figures from whom I have found the most inspiration in my times of trials quickly and easily.
The book is hardbound and comes with a ribbon attached to be used to mark a favorite story. It would serve as a perfect gift book for special occasions. Thomas Nelson also advises that it can be used to “improve family devotions.” I would only recommend this if you have a family with older children. I tried it on my younger son, who is still much more a visual than an auditory learner. As the book is entirely text, the stories were not very effective in holding his attention for long enough to finish one.
Overall, I was very pleased with both the layout and the content of this book. I would certainly recommend it to others as a companion to their Bibles and an easy way to spend some time learning about how God has touched the lives of those who came before us.
This book was provided free of charge by the publisher as a review copy. The publisher had no editorial rights or claims over the content or the conclusions made in this review. Visit www.thomasnelson.com for more information on this book.