Author : Gwen Ellis Screen Reader : Supported Works with : Source : Status : Available | Last checked: 3 Hour ago! Size : 49,406 KB |
This new addition to the Read and ShareTM brand contains 40 stories plus a 60 minute DVD including bonus features just for toddlers.
The Read and Share Toddler Bible is a delightful way to introduce little ones ages one to four to God’s Word. Gwen Ellis’s engaging retelling of Bible stories along with Steve Smallman’s colorful art communicate God’s Word clearly to small tots with short attention spans. Stories from both the Old and New Testaments include all-time favorites ranging from Creation, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, David, to Jesus’ birth, miracles, death, and resurrection.
Bonus DVD includes stories and bonus features from the popular Read and ShareTM DVD Bible series. Each story is three minutes long to keep toddlers attention span engaged.
Gwen Ellis has been writing and editing all kinds of books for many years. Her Read and Share Bible and its ancillary products have sold more than 1.3 million units. Gwen is fierce in her endeavor to communicate the Word of God to kids, and she is the proud mother of two adult children and two wonderful grandchildren.
Genesis 1-2
In the Beginning
God made everything.
He made the warm sun to light up the day.
He made the moon to light up the night.
He made all the pretty stars too.
God made puffy clouds and flowers and trees.
God made wiggly fishes. Splish! Splash!
God made big birds and little birds. Flap! Flap!
God made all the animals-puppies, kitties, bears, and many, many more.
God made man. "Hello, Adam."
Then God made woman. "Hello, Eve."
God was happy!
PARENTS: Help your little one use pictures of animals and flowers from old magazines to make a collage. Together name each of the animals and flowers, and then thank God for making them.
Genesis 2:8-3:19
Adam and Eve and the Sneaky Snake
Adam and Eve were God's friends.
They lived in a beautiful garden.
Sometimes God came to visit them.
There were many wonderful things to eat in the garden.
But God said, "See that tree? Don't eat its fruit. You must stay away from it."
One day a s-s-s-sneaky s-s-s-snake came s-s-s-slithering up to Eve.
"Hello, Eve, have you ta-s-s-s-sted this-s-s-s fruit?"
"Oh no!" Eve said. "God said it was a no-no."
"Try it," whi-s-s-s-spered the snake. "It won't hurt you."
So Eve ate a fruit. She gave Adam a bite. Mmmm, good!
Uh-oh! Something happened.
Adam and Eve felt so bad that they hid.
They knew they had made a wrong choice.
God came to visit.
"Adam, Eve, where are you?
Why are you hiding? Did you eat fruit from the tree?" God asked.
"Yes," they said. God was very sad.
"Out you go," God said. "You can't live in the garden anymore."
PARENTS: Talk with your child about what is a "no-no" at your house. Ask her what will happen if she disobeys and does a no-no. Reassure her that Mommy, Daddy, and God will still love her even if she makes a wrong choice.
Genesis 3:14-24
Out of the Garden
Outside the garden, Adam and Eve had to work hard to grow their food.
They planted vegetable seeds.
Guess what came up. Vegetables-and weeds!
Adam and Eve had made a wrong choice.
But God still loved them, and He was always with them.
When we make wrong choices, God still loves us, and He is always with us.
PARENTS: Little children need to know that even when they have made a wrong choice, Mommy and Daddy still love them, and God still loves them too. Pray with your child to ask forgiveness for a wrong choice.
Genesis 6:5-7:17
Noah and the Big Boat
"Noah," God called, "I want you to build a big boat."
"Okay," Noah said, "I'll do it right away."
And Noah went to get his tools.
Noah picked up his hammer and some nails.
He found some boards and his saw.
Then Noah went to work.
Pound! Pound! Saw! Saw!
When the boat was finished, Noah, Mrs. Noah, and their three sons and their wives all went up the ramp and into the boat.
"Bring two of every kind of animal inside," said God.
Soon the animals came two by two into the boat: two elephants, two kangaroos, two pandas, two pigs, two bunnies-two of every animal.
"Come on in," called Noah.
Noah led the elephants into their stall.
Mrs. Noah found a place for the kitties to sleep.
Noah's sons helped all the other animals find a place to rest.
Crrrrrreak! Crrrrrreak! God shut the door of the boat.
It started to rain. Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.
The wind blew. Oooo! Ooooo!
Inside the boat, everyone was snug and safe.
PARENTS: Let your little one pretend to pound and saw like Noah. Let him be one of the animals climbing up the ramp. He can pitter-patter like the rain and howl like the wind. Then help your child thank God for keeping him safe.
Genesis 7:17-9:17
In and Out of the Boat
It rained and rained and rained some more, but everyone in the boat was dry.
The kitties purred.
The bunnies hopped.
The puppies chased their tails.
Mr. and Mrs. Noah were busy.
Every day they gave the animals food.
And they gave the animals water too.
They took good care of all the animals.
After floating on the water for a long time, Noah let a white dove fly out the window.
The dove brought back a green leaf.
The trees were growing!
Noah let the dove out again. It didn't come back.
The water was gone!
"Time to come out of the boat," said Noah.
Lickety-split, everyone hurried out.
They ran and hopped for joy.
God smiled and put a rainbow in the sky.
He promised never to flood the earth again.
PARENTS: Cut strips of paper of different colors. Help your little one glue the strips on a large sheet of paper to make a rainbow. Talk to your child about how the rainbow stands for God's promise.
Genesis 12:1-7; 17:1-16; 22:17 Abram and the New Land
God told Abram to go on a trip.
Abram didn't know where he was going.
He didn't have a map.
As he walked, God showed him the way.
Abram's wife Sarai, his nephew, his servants, and all his animals went on the trip too.
They all walked and walked until Abram saw a beautiful place.
"You can keep this home forever," God said.
Abram and Sarai were happy to be home.
All the servants and animals were happy to be home too.
God changed Abram's name to Abraham.
He changed Sarai's name to Sarah.
Then God made them a promise.
"Your children and grandchildren will be as many as the stars."
PARENTS: Pretend with your little one to be Abram and Sarai going on a long walk. Your child must trust you to lead her from room to room. At the end of your "trip" have a treat for her. Explain that we can trust God to lead us every day of our life-and that He will!
Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7
A Baby for Abraham and Sarah
Abraham and Sarah wanted a baby very much.
They waited and waited, but no baby came.
Then they were too old.
One day three visitors came to Abraham's tent.
"Please stay for lunch," said Abraham.
Abraham said to Sarah, "Please bake some bread."
Then Abraham hurried to get some meat to cook.
When the yummy food was ready, the three men sat down to eat.
"God promises that Sarah will have a baby next year," one of the men said.
Sarah laughed.
"I'm too old to have a baby," she said.
But nothing is too hard for God!
The next year, Sarah did have a baby boy.
Sarah was so happy she laughed again.
Sarah named her baby Isaac.
Isaac means "laughing."
God promised Abraham a son, and God always keeps His promises.
God has many promises for you too, and God will keep His promises to you.
PARENTS: Keeping promises is very important to little ones. Make a simple promise to your child, such as reading a favorite story at bedtime. Keep your promise, and then remind him that God always keeps His promises.
Genesis 24
Rebekah and the Ten Camels
Isaac was all grown up.
It was time for him to have a wife.
Isaac's daddy, Abraham, decided to find a wife for him.
Abraham said to his best servant, "Please find a wife for Isaac."
His servant loaded up ten camels with presents.
Then he went far away across the desert.
The servant stopped beside a well.
"Dear God, show me the best girl for Isaac. If she gives me and my camels water, I'll know she's the right one."
Soon a girl named Rebekah came.
"Please give me water," Abraham's servant said.
"Yes, I will give you and your ten camels water," said Rebekah.
This was the right girl for Isaac.
PARENTS: For fun, help your little one count the camels in the picture. Talk with her about how she can help others. Let her know that God is happy when she is helpful like Rebekah was.
Genesis 25:19-34; 27:1-28:5
Jacob and Esau
Isaac and Rebekah had two boys.
The boys were twins.
One was red and hairy. His name was Esau.
The other, named Jacob, had smooth skin.
Esau liked to hunt and fish.
Jacob liked to stay home and cook.
One day Esau was hungry.
Jacob had a big pot of soup.
"Give me some soup," said Esau.
"Okay," said Jacob, "but first give me all the gifts Dad has for you."
"Sure, just give me some soup," said Esau.
Jacob got Esau's gifts.
Then Jacob tricked their father, Isaac, and got even more of Esau's gifts.
Esau was so angry, he wanted to hurt Jacob.
Jacob ran far away across the desert.
PARENTS: Sibling rivalry is nothing new to you if you have more than one child. Help your child act out this story. Encourage your little one to be kind and not take what belongs to others.
Genesis 28:5; 29:1-30
Jacob Is Tricked
Jacob ran far away to his uncle's house, where he met Rachel. She was beautiful.
Jacob loved Rachel, and Rachel loved Jacob.
Jacob and Rachel wanted to get married.
But then someone tricked Jacob.
Oh, they tricked him good!
On their wedding day, the bride wore a heavy scarf over her face.
Jacob couldn't see through the scarf.
When the scarf came off-surprise!
It wasn't Rachel. It was her sister, Leah.
Jacob was angry. He didn't like this trick.
Some tricks are funny, but some are not.
PARENTS: The lesson of this story is that we eventually get what we give. Talk with your little one about how to be kind to others. Let him know God is happy when he is kind.
Genesis 37:1-8
Joseph and His Brothers
Jacob had lots of sons.
He had more sons than you have fingers.
Jacob loved all his sons, but he loved Joseph the most.
That made the other brothers angry.
When Joseph came to see them, they had scowls on their faces.
Joseph told them, "I had a dream. In my dream your wheat all bowed down to mine."
The brothers scowled even more.
They thought Joseph wanted to be their king!
"Do you think you will rule over us? You will not be the king of us!" the angry brothers screamed.
They were angrier than ever with Joseph.
PARENTS: Tell your little one that Jacob had 12 sons in all. Hold up her 10 fingers, along with 2 of your own, to show 12. Show her what a scowl is. Then talk with her about being kind to others-especially to brothers and sisters.
Genesis 37:3, 12-28; 39:1-20
Joseph and His Beautiful Coat
Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful coat.
It was blue, red, green, and yellow.
Joseph was proud of his coat.
He wore it everywhere.
"Joseph, go see your brothers," Jacob said.
"I'll wear my new coat," said Joseph.
When the brothers saw Joseph coming, they were sooooo angry.
"I don't like him," one brother said.
"Let's get rid of him," another said.
They grabbed Joseph.
They threw him down a hole. Poor Joseph.
Some men on camels came riding by.
They were going to Egypt.
"Would you like to buy a boy?" the brothers asked.
"Sure," the men said.
So the brothers sold Joseph.
Away he went to Egypt.
In Egypt, a rich man took Joseph home.
Joseph had to work hard for him.
Joseph did a very good job.
But one day, the man's wife told a lie about Joseph.
The rich man threw Joseph in jail. Poor Joseph.
PARENTS: Draw happy, sad, angry, and scared faces on a piece of paper. Read the story again and ask your little one to identify the emotions Joseph and his brothers were feeling. Explain that God understands how we feel, and He will help us.
Genesis 40-45
Joseph Helps a King
Now Joseph lived in jail.
It was not fun.
A man in jail told Joseph his dream.
God showed Joseph what the man's dream meant.
Joseph told the man that he would get out of jail.
"You are going to work for the king," Joseph said.
And that's what happened.
"Tell the king about me," said Joseph.
But the man forgot all about Joseph.
Then, one night, the king had a scary, bad dream.
The man from the jail remembered Joseph.
The man told the king, "Joseph can tell you what your dream means."
The king said, "Get Joseph out of jail. Bring him here right now."
Joseph came to the king's house.
God showed Joseph all about the king's dream.
Joseph said, "Get ready. A hungry time is coming."
The king said, "Will you help us find enough food?"
"Yes," Joseph said.
"You are now a ruler," said the king.
As a ruler, Joseph had much food stored for the hungry times.
One day Joseph's hungry brothers came looking for food.
They didn't recognize Joseph.
Joseph was not mean to them. He was kind.
"I am your brother," he said. Everyone was happy.
PARENTS: Help your little one understand that God can make even bad things turn out to be good things-because He loves us.
Exodus 1:22-2:3
Baby Moses
Baby Moses was a wee tiny baby.
When he cried, his mother rocked him.
Back and forth and back and forth.
Baby Moses went to sleep.
A bad king wanted to hurt Baby Moses.
So his mother hid him.
Baby Moses got bigger.
Soon he was too big to hide.
His mother made a little basket.
She made the outside so the water couldn't get in.
She put a soft blanket inside.
She put Baby Moses in the basket.
Baby Moses' mother carried the basket to the river.
Gently, gently, she put the basket on the water.
Rock, rock, back and forth went the basket.
Baby Moses was safe inside the basket.
PARENTS: Let your little one act out this story. Remind him that God is watching over him.
Exodus 2:4-10
The Good Sister
Baby Moses' mother went home.
But big sister Miriam stayed to watch Baby Moses.
She saw the princess pick up his basket.
The princess smiled at Baby Moses.
"I know someone who can help you with the baby," said Miriam.
"Oh, please get someone," said the princess.
Miriam ran home to get her mother.
Moses' mother got to take Baby Moses home for a long time.
PARENTS: Act out this story using a doll and a small basket. Remind your child that God is always watching over her because He loves her.
Exodus 3:10; 13:20-22; 14
Moses Leads the People
"Moses," God said, "lead My people to the land I promised them."
Soon all God's people started walking to their new home.
In the daytime, they followed a big cloud.
At night, a big fire in the sky helped the people see.
One day the people came to the Red Sea.
"We're stuck," they said.
Moses held up his hand. Whoosh!
God made a path right through the water.
The people walked right across that sea.
Then they walked through the desert.
They walked beside a river.
They walked right to their Promised Land.
PARENTS: This is a story about trust. Hide a treat-something your child likes-in one of your hands and let him choose which hand. As he is choosing, say, "It's something good, trust me."
Numbers 22
The Donkey That Talked
Balaam's donkey went clop-clopping down the road.
Suddenly the donkey stopped.
Balaam almost fell off.
The donkey saw something in the road, but Balaam didn't see anything.
Balaam hit the donkey to make him go.
God made the donkey talk.
"Why are you hitting me?" asked the donkey.
"I want you to get going," Balaam said.
Then God helped Balaam see a bright, shiny angel standing in the road.
"Why are you hitting your donkey?" asked the angel.
"Your donkey knows more than you do," said the angel. "Now, go and help God's people!"
So Balaam went to help God's people.
His donkey was very happy about that.
PARENTS: Make a donkey face by using a paper plate. Glue on long ears and draw on a face. Let your little one pretend to be the donkey.
Joshua 3-6
Joshua and the Wall
Joshua loved God with all his heart.
He was a brave man.
It was his job to lead God's people across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land.
God made a dry path for them.
Thump, thump, thump went their sandals in the sand.
They thump, thumped right up to a big city.
"Look," said one man. "Walls ... big walls! How are we going to get in?"
God told Joshua what to do.
God said, "March around the city-one, two, three, four, five, six, seven days. March around seven times on the last day."
Around the city went Joshua.
Around the city went all the people.
"Why are we doing this?" the people asked.
"Keep marching," Joshua said.
The people marched around the wall for seven days.
On the last day, they marched around the wall seven times.
Kaboom!
God made the wall fall down.
Hooray for our God!
PARENTS: Act out the story by stacking up pillows and marching around them. Let your child help knock down the pillows.
1 Samuel 16:11; Psalm 23
David and the Sheep
David was a shepherd.
He took care of the sheep.
"Baa, baa," said the sheep.
They stood close to David.
When the sheep ran away, David brought them back.
When they got hurt, David fixed their owies.
David liked to play his harp.
The sheep liked to listen.
David made up songs.
He sang them to the sheep.
Out in the fields,
Out in the fields, David talked to God.
David sang songs to God.
God helped David take care of the sheep.
David loved God.
PARENTS: Make sheep by gluing cotton balls on an oval-shaped piece of paper. Add pipe cleaner legs, or just glue on paper legs. Let your little one sing to the sheep. Then help your child pray or sing to God.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Read and Share Toddler Bibleby Gwen Ellis Copyright © 2009 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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