In days gone by, we may have labelled this as a “Sunday School Prize Giving” but we are now more motivated not to reward the young people in our churches, but to take an opportunity to give them a gift that will help them in their Christian growth and engagement with the Bible.
Wonderfully, choices of quality Christian books to give to younger children are vast, but when looking for books for older children or teenagers which encourage Bible engagement the choice can become more limited.
When we carried out research with children and young people across Scotland in 2019, one of the key findings was that illustrations helped them to engage with the Bible. These illustrations and images brought the stories in the Bible to life for them, helping them to understand it better and to delve deeper into its meaning for their lives. Illustration can be seen as a form of translation, allowing a young person in contemporary Scotland to read the Bible in their heart language.