The latest issue of Themelios includes a gem for those who care for young children: David Shaw’s “Telling the Story from the Bible? How Story Bibles Work.”

Shaw includes lots of pictures from popular story-Bible books for children to illustrate his points. This is by far the most thoughtful piece I’ve read on this.

Here’s Shaw’s outline:

1. Did God Really Say . . . ? The Relationship  between Story-bible Text and Scripture

1.1. Story Bible and the Story in the Bible

1.1.1. Omission
1.1.2. Addition
1.1.3. Reformulation
1.1.4. Transposition

1.2. Story Bibles and the Story of the Bible

2. More Than Meets the Eye? The Relationship between Story-bible Art and Scripture

2.1. “Your Eyes Will Be Opened”: The Fall in Scripture and in Picture

2.1.1. Representation

Setting
Characters
Narrative Structures
Time and Decisive Moments
Style/Media

2.1.2. Composition

Positioning
Salience
Book Design

2.2. Seeing the Bigger Picture: Story Bible Art and the Story of the Bible

3. On the Same Page? The Relationship between Word and Image within a Story Bible

3.1. Enhancement
3.2. Counterpoint
3.3. Contradiction

4. Drawing You In: The Relationship  between Story Bible and Child

4.1. Textual Interaction

4.1.1. Within the Narrative
4.1.2. Marginalia

4.2. Visual Interaction

4.2.1. Gazes
4.2.2. Point of View
4.2.3. Framing
4.2.4. Modality

5. Conclusion

Relationship 1: The Text of the Story Bible and Scripture
Relationship 2: The Images of the Story Bible and Scripture
Relationship 3: Word and Image within the Story Bible
Relationship 4: The Story Bible and the Child

6. Appendix: Story Bibles Cited

Related: resources on children’s literature