Adam and His Family (Arch Books)

Adam and His Family
Arch Books
 Written by Robert Baden
Illustrated by Arthur W. Kirchhoff
Copyright 1986
Format: paperback
Status: Not currently in print. A few pre-owned copies are available on ebay and other more recent arch books are available from Concordia Publishing
Conclusion: Keep it (buy it if you can find it)

 


My son recently asked to read a story that we had never read before, so we picked this one.  It's another Arch book, and is a bit different from typical Bible storybooks in that it doesn't specifically focus on one story, but instead tries to give an idea of everything that happens from the Creation of Man to The Great Flood. It is called Adam and His Family because it is the story of Adam's descendants and it focuses mostly on the people.

The Good Points:

  • This story is very accurate.
  • In the story where Cain kills Abel, the author and illustrator did a good job of making the story appropriate for younger children. It mentions that Cain killed Abel, but doesn't spend a lot of time focusing on it. The illustration does show Abel's body lying on the ground, but it is mostly hidden behind a hill and it easy to miss unless you look for it. The main part of the illustration shows Cain running away.
  • The book ties this story to Jesus by mentioning that he would eventually be born from Seth's line.
  • In includes details about lesser known people from Bible, like Enoch, Methuselah, and Cain's children.

The Discrepancies:

  • This book states that "God declared that Seth would be the one to share the promise God had made to people through the years."  The Bible never records God saying anything specific about Seth, though Eve claims that God gave Seth to her to replace Abel.  However, Seth's line is the one that Jesus is from, so the fact is true, even if God did not specifically state it.
Wow, I only found one small problem with this book. That's impressive!  So this book is definitely a keeper. It's an uncommon story and stays true to the Bible.  If there were more copies easily available I'd recommend buying it for your collection.  Arch books are recommended for ages 5-9, but I think you could use these as read-alouds for children as young as age 3 or 4.



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