Daniel in the Lions' Den (Arch Books)

 Daniel in the Lions' Den
Arch Book
Written by Jane R. Latourette
Illustrated by Sally Mathews
Copyright 1966
Format: paperback
Status: Not currently in print, but pre-owned copies are available on ebay and the publisher has release a modern version here (though I don't know how much is the same or if it entirely different).
Conclusion: Keep

Here we have yet another Arch book.  I grab these anytime I find them, so now we have dozens of them in our collection.  Some are incredibly well done, and some are rather inaccurate, so you need to be careful with them.  However, what I love about these Arch book is that there are so many of them, and they cover everything! Do you want a story about some obscure part of the Bible?  Arch probably has a book for it.  Now, Daniel in the Lions' Den, however, is certainly not an obscure Bible story. I've seen many versions out there, and we have 3 in our personal collection.  Is Arch's version were keeping around even for a story this common?

The Good Points:

• Just looking at the cover I can already see one thing that impresses me with this book.  Daniel is old!  It's the only book I've seen that get's Daniel's age right.  It even refers to him as a "brave old man" in the text. 
• The story stays pretty close to the Bible.
• The king's declaration after Daniel is free is impressively close to what he says in the Bible (impressive for a children's story). 
• The story is written in rhyme, so it is fun for kids.  (However, the rhyme scheme is sometimes a bit forced, frequently inconsistent, and even stops completely at one point, so it is a bit awkward and can be difficult to read aloud).
• The book ends with a note to parents asking them to think about whether it was more amazing that God rescued Daniel from the lions, or from his fear of the men. It discusses how hard it must have been for Daniel to break the law and continue to pray even though he knew the consequences. 

The Discrepancies:

• The Arch book doesn't mention that the king spent the day trying to find a way to keep Daniel from going to the lions' den.
• The book describes that Daniel was pushed into the den and the door was closed behind him. The illustrations also show a door.  The Bible, however, says that a stone was placed over the mouth of the den and sealed by the king--no doors were involved.
• In the Arch book, Daniel says that God shut the lions' mouths.  In the Bible, Daniel says that God sent an angel to close the lions' mouths. 
• This storybook closes by saying that there was a celebration in honor of Daniel. The Bible does not mention any celebration.

While this book does have a few small problems, I don't believe they change the overall meaning of the story, nor diminish the power of God in any way.  My biggest complaint is actually the inconsistent rhyme scheme which makes the book difficult to read aloud.  However, it is much easier to read silently, so perhaps this book is better for older children who can read it to themselves.  The Arch website says these books are meant for children ages 5-9.  I normally say that Arch books can be read to children as young as three.  There's nothing wrong with the content of this one, so go ahead and read it to your 3 year old if you choose, but due to the difficult rhyme scheme, you may prefer to wait until he or she can read it independently.  So yes, keep the book, there are no huge problems with it, but it's probably not worth seeking it out specifically.  Has anybody else found a Daniel book that shows Daniel as an old man?