2021

Two good children's Bibles from Zondervan came to the attention of our Writing Team, so I'm posting our comments below.  Both of them use the New International Readers Version (NiRV) which is a 3rd grade reading level version of the NIV.

In 2018, Zondervan published the NiRV Seek and Explore Holy Bible --a unique Bible with mini-activities and kid-friendly notes sprinkled throughout for 2nd grade to 6th I'd say.  It's very expensive in hardcover, so shop around. Feels like a good resource for TEACHERS to use because it has kid-friendly notes and activities teachers can use, or as a good "presentation" gift.   Update: I'm wondering if Zondervan is keeping this in print. Doesn't seem to be available via some of their links.

In 2019, Zondervan publish the NiRV Illustrated Bible for Kids. It's very nice, but not cheap. I like that the stories are in a single column and readable font size and font color! The illustrations are good too, as are the maps. Could have used more of them. This is a Bible for the classroom or presentation.

This link will take you to a sampler of the NiRV Illustrated Bible for Kids.

Here's their blurb:
NIrV, The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids is a brand-new kind of Bible that allows kids ages 4-8 to read the full Bible without chapter and verse numbers and footnotes--study aids that are helpful for adults but can be very distracting for kids. This Bible presents the story of God's people in a single column format with an extremely readable font. With nearly every turn of the page, children will encounter full-color illustrations and kid-friendly maps that illuminate the Bible story. For children who want to read on their own or with an adult nearby, this is the perfect first full-text Bible for kids who appreciate the power of story and of God's Word.