Bibles for Me and My Kids (from a Bible teacher and Bible study writer with lots of opinions)
If there’s anything I’m OpInIoNaTeD about, it’s Bibles. I realized a few months back that I passed this trait down to my 10-year-old daughter, who shared with me her firm specifications for a new Bible. I found one that met her standards and bought if for her for her birthday a few months ago. (Scroll down to see!) I felt kind of proud of her and yet kind of worried about both of us.
BUT! Perhaps our particularities can help you if you’re on the hunt for Bible for you or your kids. Here’s a run-down of the Bibles I’ve “lived in” over the past decade and the Bibles I’ve gotten for my kids, discussed starting from the bottom of the pictured stack and working our way up to the top of the stack. (You can click each link for a better look at each Bible, or check out my recent reel that gives a peek inside each Bible.)
*Some of these items may be affiliate links. That means if you shop using the links, I may receive a small commission from the brand at no cost to you.
For Mom:
Note: Previously, I only used one Bible exclusively and obsessively, but over the past five years or so, I’ve noticed I’ll “live in” a Bible for a year or two and then switch it up.
ESV Single-Column Journaling Bible (Crossway) - (I’ve linked the closest option, which is a large-print version, but here’s a similar one with the 7.5 point size font.) This is my tip top favorite. This particular cover doesn’t seem to be available anymore in the 7.5 point font, but they have lots of fantastic options. I ended up setting this Bible aside as my everyday Bible because it was falling apart and it stressed me out to think about recovering it, although if I ever do, I’ll send it to Crew + Co. Also, I’d written in it quite a bit, and I was starting to get distracted from the Word by my own words, which is an interesting predicament.
The Jesus Bible, ESV Edition (Zondervan) - This cover is everything! I’ve followed artist Britt Bass for a long time, and I seriously flipped out when they came out with this cover. I made sure to get it in ESV because that was my preference at the time, but they also have NIV available. My only grievance with The Jesus Bible is that there are A LOT of extra pages inside, and it feels like they get in the way when I’m trying to flip somewhere. (This is what my daughter was getting at, btw.) It’s not really a journaling Bible, but for the most part, the margins offered me what I needed, and I love the two ribbon markers. I ended up setting this Bible aside as my everyday Bible because I wanted to gain familiarity with the CSB translation for my work with Lifeway and because it’s the translation used in our kids’ ministry. (More on CSB below!)
The Holy Land Illustrated Bible in CSB (Holman) - This Bible has some really fascinating extras that I enjoyed — tons of cultural, architectural, and contextual information collected from years of articles written by scholars and once published in something called The Sunday School Less Illustrator, I “lived in” this for about a year and really enjoyed it, but I honestly prefer a single column situation with wide margins. I’d also tried Bible tabs for the first time with this and realized they weren’t for me. (Although these are all really cool.) This was my first opportunity to spend in-depth time in the CSB translation, and I enjoyed it tremendously. It’s super readable yet faithful, and it makes sense to me that kids’ ministries are using it. I made sure my older kids had a CSB after all of this, especially since that’s the translation they memorize verses in at church. (Scroll down for more info on kids’ Bibles!)
Lifeway Women’s Bible in CSB (Holman) - I bought this happy yellow Bible to use when I filmed my Bible study Come Home, and I promised myself I wouldn’t take extensive notes in this lest I distract myself. I’ve kept it crisp and clean, but honestly, this thing is begging for me to write all in it. There are spacious margins, the extras are not burdensome whatsoever (and written by some of your favorite female Bible teachers), two two ribbon markers (I really do prefer a Bible with TWO!), and great font choices. (If you’re a font person, you know how much that matters.) Maybe I’ll settle into this one next year.
CSB Single-Column Personal Size Bible (Holman) - This Bible was a gift, and I started using it in January. It’s smaller than all the others, and I’ve really enjoyed that for hauling to church and out of town and whatnot. The cover feels fancy to me, the pages are thick enough for note-taking and highlighting, and it’s got the two ribbon markers. (I’m not sure why this matters to me, but it does.) However, I have to admit that I miss big fat margins. I am a margins gal!
For Kids:
CSB Hosanna Revival Bible (Holman) - Most would not consider this a kids’ Bible, but it was exactly what my 10-year-old daughter had in mind: no extra pages, single column, note-taking margins, and CSB translation. The cover is absolutely beautiful and feels so “her” to me! (This particular one is getting harder to find, but Hosanna Revival has lots of great options in different translations if you poke around.) She’s loved it, and I think it’s a great fit for any kid who feels a little too old for a Bible marketed to kids, and it’s especially good for a kid who’s drawn to note-taking. (My older kids both have a pen bag full of highlighters and pens that they bring with them to church each week and grab when we do some kind of Bible study at home. They LOVE having their own stash!)
CSB Explorer Bible for Kids (Holman) - I have had my eye on this one for my 8-year-old son for a few years, and I decided to give it to him as a gift before he went to kids camp. (We studied John 3:16 and memorized the CSB version.) He loved the explorer theme and getting a new Bible that felt like it had a boy like him in mind. (Of course he spilled water all over it at camp, but this is just what it is to be an 8-year-old boy!) The extra features are exciting and informative (great intro pages to every book, QR codes with videos, etc.), and I feel like he’s got lots of stuff he can look at when his attention span can’t hang during the sermon.
NIV Thinline Baby Gift Bible (Zondervan) - Our youngest is four and can’t read yet, but he was given this as a gift during his baby dedication, and he’s carried it with him to church for a few years now. He’s definitely a rough-and-tumble kind of kid who literally cannot turn a page in a book without ripping it, so this Bible has had to be glued back together a time or two. At first, I felt protective of the physical book, but then I realized that it honors God and His Word so much more for a kid to faithfully bring it to church, even if that kid can’t read yet. Plus, it makes my son feel like a big kid. (He’s not happy when we forget it in the car.) Within the next year or so, I’ll probably buy him the same one big brother has.
I’m sure there are zillions more great options, but these are ones my family has used and enjoyed, and I hope this list helps you. Of course, two things must be said after a list like this:
The best part about any Bible is that it’s THE BIBLE, God’s Word. It’s a true treasure, a delicious feast, the way by which discover God’s goodness. (There’s a reason that when I teach people to study the Bible, I frame all of it up with delight!)
The Bible is for all of us just as it is, and we don’t need something perfectly branded to us. However, it can be fun and meaningful to find or give a Bible with a cover and features that fit a particular life stage or preference. (And by the way, if you’d like me to chat with my pastor husband about what Bibles he uses and recommends for other men, let me know.)