Reddit mentions: The best religion books for children

Congratulations on reaching a compromise between the two of you. It's a great start.

There are lots of resources out there to learn about world religions. Many are tailored to educating children. There are sites with interactive activities, like this for example:

http://www.hindukids.org/index.html

There are sites that have lists of books to look into reading, I'm sure there are DVDs out there too. Think 'Living Scriptures' for non-LDS. One example might be:

http://www.buddhistchildrensbooks.com

Amazon even has books geared towards kids that introduce world religions, such as:

http://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Believe-Publishing/dp/0756672287

Hit up Google and start searching for kid-friendly ways to introduce different paths and belief systems. I'm not sure where you live, and I know you mentioned that you don't want to start going to another church regularly, but Utah has a large number of non-Christian worshippers. There are a few beautiful Hindu temples in Utah (one in South Jordan, another in Spanish Fork), a few Buddhist temples (SLC for example). There is even a strong Islam presence in Utah. If you're trying to avoid worship maybe check into activities or events each community has which are open to the public.

Where ever you live, just start with Google.

Your children are young enough that I'd imagine your time could be spent just teaching ideas that encourage them to think for themselves. You could choose to talk with them about being spiritual instead of religious. Its a great thing when you're discussing religious concepts with kids - you don't have to know the answers they may ask. It's a great time to introduce ideas such as "Some people believe... others believe... but no one knows for certain. What do you think?" The fact that Daddy doesn't know the answer reinforces the concept that these are all mythical/philosophical concepts instead of hard truths.

Talk about being grateful for ___ in your life (such as being grateful for our health, grateful for the ability to have food) instead of thankful (which often refers to thanking god for things). This can also lead into discussions that not everyone in the world enjoys such things we may take for granted.

This website has a few great ideas of things to do with children to teach spiritual ideas instead of religious traditions:

http://www.parenting.com/article/teach-spirituality-kids

I think you're on a good path in that you want to teach your children to learn about other ways of doing things. It can only benefit them. Good luck!!

It's all about the kids.

Your kids deserve a great education. Don't force them into an environment where they get nothing but one-sided indoctrination. Teach your kids about religion (not just your own, although that's a great start.) Learning stories about different religions is great http://www.amazon.com/God-His-Creations-Tales-Testament/dp/0763622117/ is wonderful, so are similar books about Greek myths http://www.amazon.com/Greek-Myths-Marcia-Williams/dp/0763653845/ Indian gods, etc. It's an important part of our culture, current events, literature, world news and history, etc. to understand different faiths.

If your 12 year old is old enough to be into a book like http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Reality-Know-Whats-Really/dp/1451675046 that could be great, too... or tell him/her about cool stuff on reddit, related to any given interest. Internet access does wonders for broadening people's horizons.

>There are times when I wish my world was a bit larger

Your kids might wish this as well. Think about what you could do for them -- are there options for student exchange, travel, getting involved in anything, anywhere that broadens their circle of friends and acquaintances outside of a homogenous community? That should be a goal in raising your kids.

Only you know your situation, but in your position I'd be having a discussion first with my spouse about why they're requiring me to tell the kids. At the least it seems you should be clear on that, and the answer may help you decide how to approach this.

When you do tell your kids, I think the most important thing is to invite them to ask any questions they have, either then or later on. Make it a discussion (and an ongoing discussion) rather than a declaration, and answer their questions clearly, honestly and in detail. In the longer term you may also want to check out Street Epistemology -- it's a great way to talk to kids in particular, because you'll be encouraging them to think about things for themselves.

Finally, you might want to check out The Book of Gods and/or The Belief Book by David G. McAfee, which are intended to help kids understand that many people believe different things about gods.

Good luck, and please let us know how it goes.

Good for you! First go to your state education website and find out what the requirements are for homeschooling, if any. Next, locate homeschooling groups in your area, talk to parents, and considering joining to try them out. Your kids will need extra curricular activities and friends, of course. Home schooled kids are eligible to have access to to facilities and programs in your school district. Music programs, athletic facilities, library, etc.

Start them on a foreign language as early in life as possible and do at least eight years so they're fluent. Have them master a musical instrument. A flute is lightweight for a grade school aged child to carry and it's not excessively loud. If you've ever had a saxophone player in the household and had to listen to daily practice sessions, you understand what I mean. Hah. I like piano too.

Make sure you cover history, geography, art and literature very well. Schools seem to be missing a lot in these subjects. Biographies are a great way to learn about history. But do tailor your approach. If you have a kid who's hotly interested in a particular subject or activity, give them leeway to follow their interest. Kids need plenty of physical activity, as I'm sure you know. We went to the public library every week and brought plenty of books home in our 'book bags'. Stock a shelf of classical children's literature in each child's room. Include the gift of a book on every gift giving occasion. And try to challenge them occasionally with books that are a little beyond their reading/vocabulary level, or at least have that material available for when they're ready.

>prepared your children for the harshness that is the real world

It's okay to protect kids, to let them have some innocence. They need to be stress free so they can focus on learning, growing and playing. On the other hand, they also need to be encouraged to take on age appropriate risks. You'll know when the time comes how to explain what the dangers are and teach them how to cope. Nursery rhymes, fairy tales, Sacred Scripture, and old classic Disney films can help. This picture Bible was a hit in our family with grade schoolers.

The Jesus Storybook Bible is my favorite. My church gives it out at every new birth. It would be great for age five, age 8 probably too. It's focus is on putting the entire Bible in the context of the gospel.

The Story Bible is another really great option. It has many more stories than the Jesus Storybook Bible (130 vs. 40) and has gorgeous illustrations. Your kids are right at the best age for it too.

I also highly recommend the What's in the Bible video series. It does a fantastic job of putting the different parts of the Bible in context. It's aimed at kids (there's puppets) but most grownups would benefit a great deal from watching it too. You can buy DVDs or an online streaming subscription.

>Also, while we're at it, any recommendations for study bibles for teen girls (13 and 16) as well as my wife and I?

The ESV Study Bible is pretty good. Most study Bibles aimed specifically at teenagers aren't very good in my opinion. I think they can handle a "grown-up" study Bible. If they need a specific teenager resource, my favorite is Deep Down Faith, a 24-week devotional by Cornelius Plantinga.

Late to the party here, but Our Family Tree and Life Story are both great evolution books for kids, as well as Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story and the subsequent books in that series. Older Than the Stars and Big Bang!: The Tongue-Tickling Tale of a Speck That Became Spectacular are both good ones about big bang theory. For world religions/different beliefs, try What Do You Believe?, The Kids Book of World Religions, or maybe a collection of writings from different religions such as A Child's Book of Blessings and Prayers; a book like What Is God? or About God might also prompt some good discussion.

source: scientist who teaches 5-6 year olds every sunday at a Unitarian Universalist church

(if you have a UU church nearby, might be worth checking out - they can be a great resource for atheist/agnostic/multi-religion households trying to make sense of these issues!)

Twice now, professional friends of my wife (who, as always, is a humanities professor) have given my oldest daughter this kind of book as a gift. Each time it was a from a late 30s childless feminist female professor (who are people I like fine, btw). They apparently thought the books were "fun" and "playful" with a "good message".

The first of these, A is for Activist, I mostly rolled my eyes about and then gave away after a while.

The second one, Rad American Women A-Z, was given as a gift when I wasn't around, so I only came across it when looking at my 5 year old daughter's book shelf. The very first content page of this book when I opened it was this hagiography of Angela Davis - it is instructive to compare the article in the kids book with the information in the wikipedia page. And I'll admit, I seethed for a while after finding this book on my daughter's book shelf.

I recognize that there are people out there who want to give their kids these kinds of books, just as there are people who want to give their kids Baby's First Bible Stories or Baby's First Bill O'Reilly or Baby's First Glenn Beck or Baby's First Hamas.

And aside from that Hamas cartoon, this doesn't bother me. This is basically one major way people pass on their values and culture and worldview to their kids.

Nor does it bother me that my daughter will learn, over time, that there are well-meaning people out there who support Angela Davis, or Glenn Beck, or Moses, or radical feminism, or traditionalism, or Orthodox Judaism, or whatever, and that they disagree with each other, and they have their reasons, and that's okay. And she'll have to make up her own mind about those things.

But what does bother me is the idea that it's reasonable, and fun, and not even worthy of comment, to give what amounts to pretty nakedly partisan / radical propaganda to other people's kids.

It was actually after finding this second book that it finally sunk in for me that my previous practice of just politely and silently keeping my politics and worldview to myself around my wife's peers wasn't going to work. It doesn't bother me that I don't agree with them on plenty of stuff, and it's not important to me that they be convinced of, or engage with, my viewpoints or values. I actually get nothing out of them getting a window in to what I think and believe, really. But I've started seeing their assumptions about what all decent people think and value leak into how they treat my kids. And that's getting my back up. It's the assumptions part of it more than anything.

EDIT: To clarify, both books were given to my wife by the friends. No one was trying to go around our backs or anything like that... nor would they, because it wouldn't have occurred to them that there was anything objectionable about the books in the first place. It just happened to be the case that I found the second book on the book case without knowing it had been given, as described above.

There are some good suggestions in here :)

As for me, my parents vaguely believed, but there was little to no religion in our house growing up. I believed on my own until I was roughly 12. Then I became an atheist, because obviously there is no God. Then I realized I couldn't definitely say one way or the other, so I was agnostic. Several years ago, I heard about the simulation hypothesis and acknowledged that this indicated that a God was more likely than not, but I wouldn't say I really believed. Then I got into meditation/new age, got a demon (seriously) and I asked Jesus to take it away. Immediately I physically felt it go shooting out. Started reading the Gospels and believed :)

I don't have much to add that hasn't been said, but if things have been tense with your wife, but you've both agreed to share your beliefs and you need something to smooth things over, consider getting this comic book bible for her to read to your son. It's awesome :)

Oh! And a suggestion, if you are open to it. The bible says "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Therefore, I believe that if you genuinely ask God to show you if he is real, that he will show you.

God bless you and your family :)

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I've got a little ways to go (14 mo. old), but the following books have been recommended in other threads and have been on my wish list a while and might be helpful:


In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World

Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion

On the scouts question, from what I've read the scouts in the US patently don't allow atheists, so I'm pretty much planning on avoiding them entirely unless at the boy's request. Luckily I live in an area that sports a large number of non-religious folks so I'm hoping that through friends and such we'll get our fair share of camping and outdoorsy stuff without resorting to scouts.

I don't know of any UU-specific books, but in the spirit of UU, maybe it's better to offer a variety of perspectives?

• Great Adaptations is a colorful and fun book about evolution and natural selection.
  
• Stories of the Prophets in the Holy Qu’ran is a colorful and fun introduction to the Muslim perspective on familiar (and unfamiliar) stories.
  
• Sitting Still Like a Frog is a child friendly introduction to mindfulness and meditation
  
• What Do You Believe and The Kids Book of World Religions also seem like they might be helpful

I'm atheist, wife is agnostic/nonreligious. Her family is devout catholic, mine is baptist.

I'm pretty strict in my atheism. I don't flaunt it, but I don't suffer fools either. So there have been discussions when I see family attempting to indoctrinate my son's trusting mind.

Early on, we decided not to sacrifice relationships over this. But instead of focusing on staying away from Christianity, we've flooded him with all the legend, myth and story we can shovel into him. I'm a b ig fan of Irish Myth, and the Cuchalain stories are fantastic. I was also recommended In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World in this forum and D'aulaire's Book of Greek Myths which is his favorite book right now.

Our tact will be to make him drink from a firehose so that it's all just stories and nothing will have the opportunity to take hold until we can better explain the virtues and pitfalls of dogmas.

The New York Times article.
http://archive.is/eYRLj

Yes, New York Times. Because what sort of bigoted piece of shit wouldn't want this propaganda fed to their second grade child?

It's pretty obvious the West NEEDS little boys to be told that wearing dresses is awesome stuff, because duh. We need more little boys in dresses and the lack of little boys wearing dresses pisses me off!

So, obviously I had to check out all of the supportive, encouraging, and empowering books teaching little girls how wonderful it can be to not wear hijabs! And I found tons!!!!!

https://www.amazon.com/Wear-Hijab-Anywhere-Islamic-Foundation/dp/0860373193
>Describes how Muslim girls can cover their hair and dress modestly anywhere while traveling, playing, and going about their daily activities. On board pages.

http://www.noorart.com/We-Love-Hijab?gclid=CjwKCAiAr_TQBRB5EiwAC_QCq0WBgt9-Eoi7e4C-KjwP7MDASKQxRS4-j8LSjbhABO3TXmVpZ4YLxxoCPRcQAvD_BwE

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http://everydayforlifecanada.blogspot.com/2017/04/tilt-your-head-rosie-red-not-just.html?m=1
>One message of the book is fine, that someone with a difference should not be made fun of or used as an excuse to bully them. But the book goes wrong in that it sends the message that new comers need not try to integrate into society, but rather that society must adjust its customs to the newcomer - and in fact to adopt to the newcomers customs whether they are good or not. And in any society where hijabs are the norm, woman are oppressed and treated as sexual objects, among other things. The Author never goes on to let anyone ask Fadimata why she wears the hijab or asks if she even wants to wear the hijab because that would point out that she is not allowed to not wear it.

Actually, I found none.

But... Here are other great things empowering girls to not wear hijabs!!!!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/11/24/hijab-barbie-perfect-christmas-gift-non-muslim-parents-who-want-stick-trump-james-robbins-column/884583001/

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http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/hijab-emoji-iphone-woman-in-headscarf-gender-neutral-characters-new-apple-a7986996.html

Wait... those don't exist either.

Also found. Virtue signaling (GONE SEXUAL)

But I found an article about gently forci- EMPOWERING your daughter to "make the choice" to wear a hijab!

So... the West NEEDS little boys in dresses. And muslim cultures NEED to force empower women to wear hijabs. But also the West wants to force the hijab into becoming part of western culture..? Like a forced meme?

This is deep stuff. My moral deficiencies are too great to understand such wisdom.

My 13 year old is reading HDM right now. :) Fantastic trilogy. I loved Chronicles of Narnia when I was in 7th grade. A few years ago I tried to read it to my kids and just couldn't get through it. Not because of the themes or the plot, the actually writing is pretty bad. Compared to HDM, CoN is not even the same class of sophistication.

Edited to add: for younger kids, I recommend In the Beginning: Creation Stories From Around the World by Virginia Hamilton. It is beautifully illustrated. My young kids loved it. We read one story each night and it prompted awesome conversations. http://smile.amazon.com/Beginning-Creation-Stories-Around-World/dp/0152387420/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462464489&sr=1-3&keywords=in+the+beginning

Three suggestions:

The Action Bible: My goddaughter's mom verifies both its theological accuracy and its popularity among the kids - and what a great sale on amazon right now!

Wee Believers might be too young for him, but if not, you can use the promo code SPR2015 through 3/13 for an unnamed discount on your total order (yay email newsletter!)

Magnificat Children's Books or MagnifiKid! Full disclosure: I work for Magnificat. I don't actually gain anything if you buy from us; I just happen to think our kids stuff is pretty great.

Plush saint dolls or pillowcases. I haven't bought these, so I can only go by reputation.

I wish you fruitful shopping, and enjoy his First Communion and celebrations! That's the ONE downside of my godson being Byzantine... :)

One World, Many Religions: The Ways We Worship, by Mary Pope Osborne – Survey of all the world’s religions from children’s perspectives, geared for 9-12 year olds.

Buller, Laura (2005). A Faith Like Mine. New York, NY: DK.  Includes Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Sikhism in detail, with bits on Zoroastrianism, Shinto, Taoism, Jainism and Baha’i, for ages 9-12.

DK Publishing (2011). What Do You Believe? New York, NY: DK. Includes all of the largest faiths, many smaller religious, plus ancient philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato, as well as modern thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Kant, and Sartre.

The Little Book of Hindu Deities: From the Goddess of Wealth to the Sacred Cow, by Sanjay Patel – This is actually not a children’s book, but came highly recommended

Demi (2005). Jesus. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Zen Shorts, by Jon Muth – Introduction to Zen principles by a giant panda, targeted to children 9-12

DK Publishing (2011). What Do You Believe?  New York, NY: DK. Includes all of the largest faiths, many smaller religious, plus ancient philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato, as well as modern thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Kant, and Sartre.

The Elephant Prince: The Story of Ganesh, by Amy Novesky – Beautifully illustrated tale of Ganesh, Hindu deity.

Demi (2003). Muhammad. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books

My advice would be to include your participants as much as possible. Delegate certain easy-to-make food items with specific recipes (explain about food restrictions during the holiday) - I think I had guests bring things like hard-boiled eggs, veggies and mashed potatoes. Also I had each of them bring a bottle of wine and a pillow.

Agree with everyone that says to keep the ritual. Most people unfamiliar with Jewish practices will find the rituals to be fascinating and fun, so stick to the traditions. Find a haggadah that fits with your values - you can find tons of different ones. My family has used this one for years and years. There are also funnier ones - my uncle has a book of passover jokes that are indexed to the appropriate time in the dinner, and he pulls out a couple of those that he likes at random times.

Yeah, I actually do feel like I get equal time. Early on my wife and I compromised on church attendance - I keep one of the boys home with me every week and we do something fun, like spending some time winning prizes at the nickelcade or seeing a movie.

I also bought a book for my boys, What do You Believe, which is a pretty high level survey of belief for kids. I wouldn't recommend it for really young ones, though. My 5 year old thinks it's pretty boring. But it has been the prompt for several discussions about what I personally believe, which is cool.

Welcome! A book we really found helpful for our children is:
What Do You Believe https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756672287/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
it provides neutral information about different religions of the world, customs, holidays, etc. it also includes non believers. I like this book for two big reasons, the tone is neutral, often books about religion are christian-centric or focus heavily on the Abrahamic religions. This book treats all of them evenly. And, it includes non believers. I also like my kids to have a basic understanding about different religions because they are part of the fabric of our society and there are many expressions, etc. that are based on religion. I believe Mary Pope Osborn, author of the Magic Treehouse series, did some nice retellings of Greek Myths. That might be worth checking out as well.

When my kids were younger, they really enjoyed Grandpa's Box by Starr Meade. They also enjoyed several of the biographies by Simonetta Carr.

Currently, we're using Training Hearts, Teaching Minds in our family devotions and it's been very good.

That's a great one. And for younger kids, The Big Picture Story Bible is also great. It is very simple, but it does a great job of hitting the major important scriptural themes. Honestly, I feel edifices reading it.

That seems like a good start, and it is excellent that he has the alternate perspective of a Muslim friend. Just bear in mind that religion is very effective at spreading itself, and I think one owes it to their children to give them as much knowledge as possible. I'd recommend the book One World, Many Religions for starters.

Its pretty easy, religion should be a personal choice made by the child when he/she is ready.

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Kids-Book-World-Religions/dp/1554539811

Best you can do is talk them, answer your questions and support them in whatever they choose if they ever make a decision. If you instill a sense that they should come to you with questions they will be just fine.

This book does a great job:

The Belief Book by McAfee & Harrison

>What is belief and why is it so important? Where did it come from and what does it do? This book answers all of those questions and more! David G. McAfee, an author who studies religions, teamed up with writer and illustrator Chuck Harrison to create The Belief Book. No matter how old or how young you are, this easy-to-read book can help you learn more about religions and gods and beliefs in general. It will also teach you about something called The Scientific Method, which is how we learn new things about the world! By the time you're done reading you will know the answers to some of life's biggest questions, but more importantly you will see why your questions, and all questions for that matter, are so important. This book is the first in a series of books all about belief, gods, and religion. The fully illustrated and interactive Belief Book is for readers and thinkers of all ages, including kids and kids at heart.

This is also a great book that my children have read and learned from. It helps cover world religions and has helped my kids understand some of their friends various religious and faith backgrounds better: What do you believe? http://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Believe-Publishing/dp/0756672287

My son is still an infant so I haven't put this into practice yet. However, once my son is inevitably exposed to christianity and has questions, my goal is to teach him about christianity right alongside other world religions. If he asks, I plan to tell him that dad does not believe in any of these religions but many people do. I have purchased this book which looks like a nice survey of world religions, aimed at children, which does not advocate for any one religion. Hopefully the takeaway will be that people believe many different things, but that christianity does not deserve any less scrutiny simply because he will encounter christianity more than other faiths.

Okay, this goes against what I said about reading key parts of the KJV, but if you're just wanting to get the characters and stories imprinted in your brain, here's a great resource: The Picture Bible

Yes, it's all the Bible stories in graphic novel format. I read this like crazy when I was a kid.

I had a similar problem after moving back to the USA from Europe. It didn't help that I moved to the south (North Carolina). My 7 year-old daughter became best friends with the girl across the street, and she was from a very religious family. She started going to church events (picnics, etc.) with her friend. When she asked for her own Bible, I realized it was time to have a talk...

I solved this in two ways: (1) I bought a book on world religions, with lots of pictures, [similar to this.] (http://www.amazon.com/Religions-The-World-Illustrated-Traditions/dp/0816062587/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1374233216&sr=8-7&keywords=religions+world+guide)

You already have a head start, thanks to your discussions of Greek Gods. I think it's key that kids learn different cultures have different beliefs. Once you cross that Rubicon, kids immediately understand religion is a racket, a man made construction. The book has lots of nice pictures, religious art, etc. So you can both learn a lot.

(2) I never prevented her from going to church with her friend. She eventually got bored with it, as there were too few picnics, too much preaching. Religion is its own worst enemy. So long as your teach your child critical thinking, you have nothing to fear long term.

Good luck!

I am sure these have been mentioned somewhere but I can't find them.

I have a 4 year old and a 6 year old. My husband and I are atheist as well.

Two books that are well loved here are: In the Beginning and What Do You Believe?

Books
Books
and books.

The main stressed point to raising secular children is teaching them HOW to think rather than WHAT to think.

Focus on giving them tools of skepticism, on questioning authority, on doubting claims without proof, etc.

but most important: just be there for them. Love them. Respect them. and they will follow suit

It's actually pretty cool. It's basically an illustrated Bible, but drawn like a comic book. It's got some great artwork. You can check it out here

I'm so old that Archie comics used to be FANTASTIC!

Manga Bible

Another

Manga bible series

The Action Bible

The Lion Graphic Bible

And plenty others.

That's a start, anyway. Good luck.

My situation is very different, DH and I are both out. I do however worry a lot about Utah culture influencing my kids and my kids wanting to please beloved TBM grandma. One thing I do is read them children's books about different beliefs/science. Here are a few I ordered recently. My heart goes out to you. Keep doing your thing, being a loving father and talking to them openly.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1940051045/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152017720/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756672287/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (for older kids)

this one was helpful for my children when we left our religion: https://www.amazon.com/Kids-Book-World-Religions/dp/1554539811/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1474913111&sr=8-3&keywords=world+religion+kids I wanted them to see the broader picture of religion and see how many similarities and the uses of religion. Highly recommend. They were fascinated and really enjoyed learning more about the world through this lens.

Perhaps you could read from In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World.

Its worst review on Goodreads had the following to say:

> I found the stories – which spanned three to five pages – to be lacking. They were interesting concepts, and I think that children would enjoy them, but for me, it was too brief and too bland.

So the stories are short, and judging by the excerpt available on Amazon, I can very well imagine that with a bit of voice acting, a child might like them.

There’s The Action Bible. I own one but I haven’t read it myself yet as I’m still trying to finish my King James. It’s 752 pages of about 215 graphic novel styled bible stories from genesis through revelations. I believe it’s based off the ESV but I’ve never read an ESV so I’m not entirely sure myself. It’s by Sergio Cariello who worked for Marvel and DC. It’s a reworking of of David C. Cook’s Picture Bible from the 1970’s. The index tells you specifically which book and verses the stories are from. There’s about 8 pages that are based off of non biblical historical texts though it tells you where they are in the index so you can skip them if you wish. I bought mine on amazon but I saw one on the bookshelf at Walmart a little while ago.

The Action Bible https://www.amazon.com/dp/0781444993/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ke3uDb7JXRHKT

I always try to encourage her to learn anything science related. And we actually try to expose her to all the beliefs of as many religions she is interested in. We got her this last Christmas. We've never told her what she should believe although she does ask us what we believe a lot. And not matter what you say or do, for a while they'll try to emulate. We always try to stress that it's ok for her and her friends to all believe in different things and it's what makes the world go round (no point into getting into how fanatical Islam is doing this or Extremist Fundamentalist Christians are doing that...she's 7). And that what she thinks now might not be the same thing she thinks down the road.

For us we went to a great workshop/seminar with Dale MacOwan which had some good ways of dealing with parenting in the midst of a lot of religious people. Common issues, etc.

In the end it's never her behavior I question or worry about, it's when/if her little friends try to pressure her into anything , which includes religion. She's even relayed a few times where kids have started to just get angry and tell her "She's dumb for not believing in Jesus" or how can she not. And she repeats her little refrain that she told them "it's ok to believe in different things." She's like a little ambassador for getting-along for humanities sake. So far it hasn't failed her. I just expect the parents at some points to be the real dicks with ostracizing. Hope they prove me wrong.

If you like graphic novels at all, this one is actually pretty accurate, and the illustrations are great:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0781444993/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486962330&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=The+Action+Bible+God%27s+Redemptive+Story&dpPl=1&dpID=612L14knTSL&ref=plSrch

My wife and I love this book about the Mass (A Missal for Toddlers). It's simple and my kids enjoy flipping through it. There are a few other Catholic books we have, but I can't remember off the top of my head. You might also consider posting this question in https://www.reddit.com/r/CatholicParenting/ . Surely they'll have some ideas.

The Action Bible

Perhaps not for a 7 month old... but by 4-5 he will LOVE it.

I have probably read through it completely (700+ pages) 3 times with my son already.

The Brick Bible is great. It tells the complete story of the Bible, instead of just the "nice" stories. But it uses legos, so it isn't so horrifying.

https://www.amazon.com/Brick-Bible-Complete-Set-Presents/dp/1626361770/

Also, search on Amazon for World Religions. Teach them all about the different world religions and how someone's religion depends on their parents, and not truth.

This is the book I used. More education is better, especially if you live in the Bible belt.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554539811/

Religions Of The World: The Illustrated Guide To Origins, Beliefs, Traditions & Festivals by Elizabeth Breuilly is pretty good.

https://www.amazon.com/Religions-World-Illustrated-Traditions-Festivals/dp/0816062587

The comic book version of the bible is actually pretty awesome, or at least the one I had as a kid was.

edit: I think this was the version I had:
http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Bible-Iva-Hoth/dp/0781430550

Get a nice picture book of world religions and tell him about all the different gods that people all over the world believe in. I searched "child's book of world religions" on amazon and came up with some that looked good. This one looked very good, and got excellent reviews: http://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Believe-Publishing/dp/0756672287/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416532756&sr=8-1&keywords=what+do+you+believe

Then tell him that you and mommy don't really believe in any of it, but when he grows up he gets to decide what he wants to believe in.

And maybe get a history of world religions book, too. That way you can show him Thor (lightning bolts!) while you let him know that gods come and go.

These probably are not the age range that the OP is asking for, but the Action Bible is really cool. Of course it doesn't have all of the books (comic Leviticus?). In Japan I handed out some manga bibles. Manga Messiah and the following books go from the time of Christ to (I think) the book of Acts. Again, may not be what the OP is looking for. But still fairly cool.

I read this picture Bible twice, once as a kid and once as an adult, and really enjoyed it both times. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a quick refresher on all of the basic Bible stories.

Also, The Source isn't exactly what you are looking for but might be relevant. I like Michener in theory, if not in practice.

Yep absolutely, as long as they are getting a broad spectrum of different viewpoints. There are several good books about comparative religion geared toward children too.

What do you Believe is a really good overview of the worlds major religions for kids and What is God is excellent at explaining that some people believe in god but leaves it up to the child to determine what they believe.

I second this book, but if you have the option the iPad version is excellent with lots of interactive features.

I also read "What Do You Believe"?" with my kids. It is an even-handed introduction to both mainstream and minority religions.

See my flair.

Maybe some of these or books like these will help you explain things to your kids.

http://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Beyond-Belief-Raising-Religion/dp/0814474268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326736652&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Just-Pretend-Freethought-Book-Children/dp/1877733059/ref=pd_sim_b_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TST6CPCNP7RGVV1RVT7

http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Freethinkers-Practical-Parenting-Beyond/dp/0814410960/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TST6CPCNP7RGVV1RVT7

http://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Yes-No-Dan-Barker/dp/0879756071/ref=pd_sim_b_5/175-5906093-8191060?ie=UTF8&refRID=161YVFZQ1AYMJBH8S80V

http://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Believe-Publishing/dp/0756672287/ref=pd_sim_b_2/175-5906093-8191060?ie=UTF8&refRID=161YVFZQ1AYMJBH8S80V

http://www.amazon.com/Older-than-The-Stars-Karen/dp/1570917884/ref=pd_sim_b_3/175-5906093-8191060?ie=UTF8&refRID=161YVFZQ1AYMJBH8S80V

This book is pretty good:
The Kids Book of World Religions

Our 10 year old enjoys this book.
It introduces readers to the many religions of the world and its equally numerous philosophies, from global religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, to lesser-known faiths, and from ancient philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato, to modern thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Kant, and Sartre.

I just did a google search and it looks like there are a few. Here, is a listing to one with some links to other options as well

https://www.amazon.com/Action-Bible-Doug-Mauss/dp/0781444993

And it looks like here is one that is online in pdf form:

https://goodandevilbook.com/english//Good-and-Evil-English-Full.pdf

Check out In The Beginning: Creation Stories From Around The World. My son loved the stories, and wanted me to read more and saw how they all sort of sounded alike. We checked it out from the library

I bought this book for my kids and they have had a great time learning about all different religions (if I recall it was recommended by this sub :))

What Do You Believe

http://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Believe-Publishing/dp/0756672287/ref=pd_cp_b_0))

*edit for spacing

Well this is older but it's a pretty famous one and has likely been translated. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0152387420/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_ErloDbY1EXZQN

The Kids Book of World Religions Even has a section about atheists.

DK What Do You Believe is more accessible with great history.

I've been diving into this over the weekend, and it's totally awesome.

I'm pretty sure we already have a modern translation of the Bible, and it's a fucking graphic novel.

On the subject of books, my 1- and 3-year-old love this book and have us read it frequently. It's a resilient little board book for them and includes all the highlights of Mass.

Other than that, I'm basically in the same boat with how old my kids are. I get fewer questions, though, because the older one is in speech therapy, so he's probably learning from all the things we do instead of asking questions. (This is more than a little terrifying.)

I love the New Catholic Picture Bible (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/089942435X).

One World, Many Religions: The Ways We Worship is a great resource.

(1) What does leading your family look like to you? Is it reading the Bible together? You could be absolutely diligent at reading the Bible together and not be leading well. If you aren't setting a consistent godly example, no one will be interested in following your leadership, because it's not working in your own life. I don't know you so that's maybe not the case, but, in my experience, wives who get frustrated by their husband trying to read the Bible with them are generally already upset with his weak character. Are you living leadership or just trying to read with her and call it leadership?

(2) Help your daughter understand the Bible. We separate my 3-year-old from my 4 and 6-year-old for devotions because she is far enough behind them developmentally that she doesn't get much from teaching on their level and they don't get much from teaching on hers. She gets disruptive because she's bored when it's above her level.

Maybe your daughter just isn't ready to have the Bible read to her. Thankfully there are a number of resources that are available to you. The Jesus Story Book Bible, The Biggest Story, The Big Picture Story Bible, The Gospel Story Bible, my personal favorite is The Big Picture Interactive 52-Week Bible Story Devotional. If you're teaching on her level she will be a lot more engaged.

I got one of these recently (which has a conventional old-style comic book look)

You might like these two amateur-made comic books from the 1980s -
maybe you'd like to redraw the content in a more modern style?

My parents were heavily religious. I’m stuck being a manga loving weeaboo now since I never got the chance to get all the weirdness out of my system while I was young. (I’m a married 36-year-old female.) My particular genre of interest is yaoi, shamefully. (Sodom and Gomorrah stuff right there.)

I laughed out loud when I read your comment and remembered that my parents thought I needed this book in my room:

The Picture Bible https://www.amazon.com/dp/0781430550/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_eZKWAbFPN4K25

Ah, memories.

Especially when there are cool, modernized versions like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Action-Bible-Doug-Mauss/dp/0781444993

I would recommend In The Beginning as a way to bring up religions. It is a book that explains the creation stories of many different cultures around the world. The Christian version is in there too, called 'Yaweh the Creator'. This is a way to not give any one religion special significance, but show how there are common themes across them all.

Some of the books we use:

The Kids Book of World Religions

The Belief Book

Awkward Moments (Not Found In Your Average) Children's Bible Book Series

I'm going to order the Church of Satan Activity book for this holiday season. Only $5! Thanks /u/lifebeatmyass

The most important thing you can do is promote critical thinking, which will undermine anything dad does.

Stress the following:

1. It's okay to believe whatever you want.
   
   
2. You can change your beliefs whenever you want.
   
   
3. Every culture came up with separate creation myths, there are books for children that discuss them: In the Beginning
   
   Also pick up the books 'Parenting Beyond Belief' and 'In Faith and In Doubt' by Dale McGowan
   
   What she think about Jesus is her choice, not daddys and not mommys. So long as you allow her to express herself, and experiment with beliefs, and question everything, and you expose her to science, you'll probably be okay.

This book covers the major world religions, without bias.
World Religions Book

Also, here’s some historical reading on the Bible, if you want a good companion to understanding it, apart from any misconceptions your family may have.
The Complete Guide to the Bible

Yes!
They also sell shorter ones. I got all these

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1414316801/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_du3-AbXHVB1BE

There’s an action bible too

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0781444993/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8u3-AbWAZVMX3

David G McAfee has this and apparently is good for kids, and has others especially useful for shooting down MIL as she probably thinks atheism is worse than Islam from how you describe her

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Belief-Book-David-G-McAfee/dp/1908675314

This looks good too:

http://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Believe-Publishing/dp/0756672287

We used The Big Picture Story Bible before we got into the Jesus Storybook Bible.

The illustrations in the BPSB have a a bit more going on in them than the JSB, so I think that helped keep my toddler's attention better.

My two year-old won't sit still for very long for books yet, unlike my five year-old when he was that age.

You mean something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Action-Bible-Doug-Mauss/dp/0781444993/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?gclid=CjwKCAjw2cTmBRAVEiwA8YMgzbTTgUfcNT-Eo37DE2DLirVhASenqDG6-J5doWFrDb9jhErYGb_IXxoCIgkQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241610017362&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9019498&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t2&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2965472603270336703&hvtargid=kwd-25298797047&hydadcr=16812_10296906&keywords=action+bible&qid=1557229468&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

This is the best one I've seen so far, thanks.

But you posted the mobile link, so I will post the fullsite link for the lazy:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679839305/

Some ones I can think of offhand plus a few lists:

Me & Dog

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/41547.Atheism_and_Religious_Disbelief_in_Children_s_Fiction

http://www.csicop.org/si/show/skeptical_books_for_children_and_young_adults

http://www.atheistrepublic.com/blog/karenloethen/books-your-skeptical-children

There Are Not Monsters Under Your Bed: A Storybook for Skeptical Thinkers

Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong

It Is Ok To Be A Godless Me

Humanism, What's That?: A Book for Curious Kids

I'm An Atheist And That's Ok

Older than The Stars

Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story

Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos

Richard Dawkins’ The Magic of Reality

The Golden Rule

The Belief Book

http://parentingbeyondbelief.com/parents/?p=384

God Is Redundant

I would also recommend The Picture Bible, it's the one I grew up with

Oh, there are graphic novel versions.

https://www.amazon.com/Lion-Graphic-Bible-Genesis-Revelation/dp/0745949231

https://www.amazon.com/Action-Bible-Doug-Mauss/dp/0781444993

Even DC Comics made a few.

http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/the-bible

I saw it at Wal-Mart but here is an amazon link.
http://www.amazon.com/Action-Bible-Doug-Mauss/dp/0781444993

I think it was actually just an older version of The Picture Bible. http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Bible-Iva-Hoth/dp/0781430550

I have no idea if it's still good, or I merely thought it was at 6. I should find a copy and see it withstood the test of time.

I collect bibles... I found my one by Jeff Anderson and Mike Maddox on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.com/Lion-Graphic-Bible-Genesis-Revelation/dp/0825462657/ref=sr_1_6?qid=1570064180&refinements=p_27%3AJeff+Anderson%2Cp_lbr_one_browse-bin%3AJeff+Anderson&rnid=1000&s=books&sr=1-6&text=Jeff+Anderson

I had a comic book bible when I was a kid, something like this one. And now I'm an atheist. Not sure that the two things are entirely related, but I won't count out the possibility.

https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Creation-Stories-Around-World/dp/0152387420

My worry is that Christianity would somehow seem clever or would appear as unique. I always take extra steps to dilute its viral concepts, most were repackaged anyway. Usually by bringing in other religions to compare it with. Or labeling it as one of the Abrahamic religions so its idea is less of a monolith.

I've gotten great stuff out of these books, especially the "What You Believe" one. It basically shows that all religions are founded on crazy myths, and how incredibly small and insignificant mormonism in on the global scale.

https://bookofbadarguments.com/

http://raisingfreethinkers.com/

https://www.amazon.com/What-You-Believe-Big-Questions/dp/0756672287

​

https://www.amazon.com/Action-Bible-Doug-Mauss/dp/0781444993

The Action Bible https://www.amazon.com/dp/0781444993/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hxEzxbGWEZ84Y

Here, one volume. Should make it easier...

I was thinking of this: The Action bible

http://www.amazon.com/One-World-Many-Religions-Worship/dp/0679839305

Link to book, preview pages available.

We have used this one to talk about religion and the many different beliefs.

The Belief Book

There's a bunch of different comic book Bibles. This one (I think) is the same as the one I had in the 80s. I just ordered one now to see if it is the same as I remember.

Beat me to it. This guy here - https://www.amazon.com/Picture-Bible-Iva-Hoth/dp/0781430550/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1538400614&sr=8-2&keywords=picture+bible. Don't expect indepth discussions of doctrine and nuance. Do expect oversimplified, kid-level stuff. I second this recommendation.

The book "one world, many religions" by Mary pope Osborne, the same author who does the magic treehouse series.

http://www.amazon.com/One-World-Many-Religions-Worship/dp/0679839305

• The Belief Book
  
• The Book of Gods
  
• The Book of Religions
  
  ​

http://www.amazon.com/The-Kids-Book-World-Religions/dp/1554539811

Actually, there is a comic book collection of bible stories.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Belief-Book-David-McAfee/dp/1908675314

Check this out

If you're into graphic novels, you should check out The Action Bible by Doug Mauss.

https://www.amazon.com/Action-Bible-Doug-Mauss/dp/0781444993/

Never read the Action Bible comic I take it?

This is how I read the Bible.

Ask and you shall receive.

Like... The Action Bible?

Not sure what book they were referencing, but we have Mary Pope Osbourne's book on religion. It's heavy reading for little kids, but has a lot of pictures to talk about, and then as the kids got older, they would understand more and more of it.

https://www.amazon.com/One-World-Many-Religions-Worship/dp/0679839305

Having lived through similar from both sets of grandparents I cannot recommend the books by this author enough. Let them know about Christianity but also about every other religion out there .

The Belief Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/1908675314/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Nr3ZCbSERR6QY

Here it is, unfortunately without the pink ice sphere, still makes an ok comic book!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Action-Bible-Doug-Mauss/dp/0781444993/

Nowadays for kids, they have things that specifically talk about battles and "miracles" god performed. They call it the "Action Bible". https://www.amazon.com/Action-Bible-Doug-Mauss/dp/0781444993

A simple search on the error page resulted with this:

https://www.amazon.com/Belief-Book-David-G-McAfee/dp/1908675314/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542124475&sr=8-2&keywords=chuck+Harrison

Username checks out! :P