©2015 Zondervan, Grand Rapids
This is the first opportunity that I have had to review a
new edition of a Bible. While I will not be reviewing the text of the
Scripture, I would like to make a few observations about this special edition
of the NIV Translation.
I personally like the New International Version for reading
and preaching because of its smooth flow of the English language. I was
disappointed a few years ago when publishers re-vamped the text with a version
that was a bit more politically savvy than the original NIV. That being said, I
would like to turn my attention to the characteristics that make this edition
unique among Bibles.
This particular edition is designed with two goals in mind:
(1) to appeal to an audience of girls in the pre-teen years and throughout the
teenage years, and (2) to provide journaling space so that readers can “make
this beautiful book [their] own.”
Aesthetically, the vibrant colors of the cover with pastels
and pinks would seem to appeal to a number of girls in the target age group. The
cover itself is sturdy cardboard that should last for several years and abide
daily use since the Bible is designed to be a tool worthwhile for a girl’s
daily devotion time. And it comes equipped with an attached silk place marker
as well as a handy elastic strap to keep the book closed when not in use.
The text of the scripture is printed on about 2/3 of the
page leaving ample space for notes, ideas, and responses that grab the heart of
the reader while they are engaging with the Bible. The other third of the page
is lined to aid in the reader’s response. I asked my 15- and 10-year-old
daughters to examine the Bible and give me their thoughts, after all they are
both in the target group for this edition. Both of them were impressed by the journaling
margins designed into the book suggesting that this would make the Bible a good
tool to use in daily devotions.
One drawback with the journaling design in my opinion is the
paper used for the pages. While the publisher did not use the delicate
onion-skin paper that is found in many gift Bibles and high-end, leather-bound
editions, the paper is relatively thin to be used for the purpose of
note-taking and high-lighting. I fear a great deal of bleed-through might occur
for readers with a heavy writing hand like myself. I will grant that the weight
of the paper is good to keep the volume from having to be divided into two or three
books in order to include the entire text of the Scriptures.
One other exception that my older daughter noted as a
disappointment was the lack of study helps such as a short, general concordance
and maps, although there is a “Weights & Measures” conversion chart
included in the rear end papers.
Overall this is a useful, attractive copy of the Bible that
would be a fine gift Bible for the pre-teen or teenaged girl in your life. I give
it four out of five reading glasses.
—Benjamin Potter January 11, 2017
[This book was provided free of charge by the publisher for
purposes of this review. The opinions are my own.]
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