"A captivating introduction to God and His love, the Seedling Bible stimulates a child's sense of wonder and nurtures young faith, laying the foundation for a lifetime of spiritual growth." This is what we are promised on the back of the Seedling Bible but I just can't see it being delivered. To stimulate a child's sense of wonder you must give him something wondrous.

I'm not sure where to start to tell you why I didn't like this book. Maybe I'll start with the pictures since they are the first thing you notice. The guide to this Bible story book is a creature named Seedling. Seedling has little leaves on his back that look like wings, and roots for fingers that look like electric plugs. He has a stem sticking out of his pea-shaped head so it looks like he's wearing a beanie and he has a blue body and blue shoes. He is, in my opinion, as attractive as the teletubbies. Well, hey, they got their own TV show so who am I to say that little Seedling is ugly? I asked my kids (13 and 12) what they thought he was.

"He's an alien, Mom. Duh!"

I love it when they act like I'm stupid and I get to correct the little snots. "No he's not. He's a plant. Duh!"

They looked closer. "Oh wow. He is a plant. That's scary."

Moving right along we come to the text. It can't be easy to reduce the beautiful Bible to short rhyming ditties. I'll give the authors that. And I guess I can get over the gaps in the stories. But I have a hard time overlooking the terrible rhyme.

She took him to the palace,
So that he could live with her.
She named the baby Moses,
Because she'd found him in the river.

Is there any way a parent can read this aloud to a child feel good about it? To make the rhyme work you have to put the accent in the wrong place. Ri-ver'. And this happens over and over and over.

And then there are the words that don't quite rhyme. Surprise and alive. Prayer and share.

There is a little cat who hangs out and asks questions, "What color is Moses's blanket?" or, "How many keys do you see?" And there are growth spurt questions, "Does Jesus have time for you?" Those questions are good. The bright colors in the pictures are also good. And the way little Seedling hides or dresses up according to the Bible story being told is a clever idea. These assets don't quite redeem the book, though, I'm afraid.

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Copyright © 2005 Sally Apokedak