[jennifer-nilsson Posts: 5 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Hi everyone - 
I am in the process of writing a few stories based on the parables found in the Bible. There is a twist in that I am using our farm and animals as setting and characters for each story.

In trying to research children's books based on the parables, I am only finding those that stick strictly to Biblical type scenes and characters.

Has anyone here come across books written as I have described - with non-traditional scenes and characters but based on Biblical texts?
If so, can you please share the titles here so I can look them up and read through the stories?

Thank you! ~ Jenn

[olmue Posts: 3,528 Status: Offline WWW]

Heh...the only one I can think of is the Heliand. Not a picture book. An epic poem that retells the New Testament reset as a Saxon warrior epic, written in the 800s. I see there is an English translation of it available on Amazon. Still...the general concept is similar?

[jennifer-nilsson Posts: 5 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Heh...the only one I can think of is the Heliand. Not a picture book. An epic poem that retells the New Testament reset as a Saxon warrior epic, written in the 800s. I see there is an English translation of it available on Amazon. Still...the general concept is similar?

Hmmm...not quite what I was thinking, but I thank you for the response.

[Vijaya Posts: 7,162 Status: Online Encourage WWW]

I've read some Bible stories set in the modern world but for older kids in magazines like Clubhouse. I'm not sure why I've not seen PBs like that. Probably because when kids are little they need to learn the original story? In any case, I've seen fractured fairy tales in PB format so you could use those as mentor texts to see how they've approached it. I think your idea is both interesting and viable. Good luck!

[olmue Posts: 3,528 Status: Offline WWW]

I was mostly joking with the Heliand suggestion (but who knows? Maybe someone has done or could do a picture book version of it? That would be...different, lol.)

Of course you want to do market research to see where your concept fits into the existing shelf of comparable works, but the the suggestion to examine fractured fairy tales is not a bad idea. I don't think there are a ton of books like what you are suggesting, even though the fractured fairy tales are fairly well received. This could be a good opportunity to stand out.

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 6,999 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

You might want to look specifically at works published by religious houses. It could be the books exist but aren't marketed that way. Some presses might want to teach the same lessons but in a new way that does not seem to compete directly with their children's Bible stories. If they advertised the books as being modern versions of the parables, they'd be in direct competition with the children's versions of the originals.

[lauriew Posts: 154 Status: Offline WWW]

Goodnight, Manger by Laura Sassi

[jennifer-nilsson Posts: 5 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

I've read some Bible stories set in the modern world but for older kids in magazines like Clubhouse. I'm not sure why I've not seen PBs like that. Probably because when kids are little they need to learn the original story? In any case, I've seen fractured fairy tales in PB format so you could use those as mentor texts to see how they've approached it. I think your idea is both interesting and viable. Good luck!

Great suggestion! Thank you!

[jennifer-nilsson Posts: 5 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Thank you all very much for the suggestions! I feel like I have more direction now. 

[Trine Posts: 126 Status: Offline WWW]

Try Laura Sassi

[jennifer-nilsson Posts: 5 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Try Laura Sassi

Thank you! I will