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Baby Believer
Desde el Edén (SPA From Eden to Bethlehem)
Children Can Explore Scripture Through God's Animal Menagerie Your family will love this unique board book! Using colorful, engaging artwork, From Eden to Bethlehem introduces little ones to the coming messiah - from fall to prophecy to Incarnation - using the animals of the Bible to tell the story. Children will delight in the beautiful illustrations and learning about key animals in the Old and New Testaments. The creatures featured in From Eden to Bethlehem follow the narrative arc of Scripture and help children understand Jesus's coming as the central story of the Bible. You will appreciate the artistic design, theologically sound content, and helping your little one gain a greater understanding of the animal kingdom, as well as the coming/establishing of God's kingdom on earth. *** Baby Believer primers are designed to grow with children, from early infancy through elementary school. In addition to basic Bible theology, Baby Believer board books are filled with quotations from the Bible, creeds, hymns, church fathers, and other articles of faith to help reinforce the content and provide intellectual handholds for older children who possess a greater capacity for learning and memorization.
20 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 13, 2018
I really liked this book. The pictures of the animals are darling, and the colors are beautiful. While the animal names and illustrations are the first things that catch your eye, the message is just as powerfully presented. It starts out with the first animal mentioned in the redemption story: the snake. Then it moves on to the animals that God uses to illustrate our need for a sacrifice. It finishes with the animals mentioned in the Christmas story. There are many others also mentioned in prophecies concerning Jesus and these are included. Seeing the pictures of the animals beside those verses is really powerful. I would recommend this book for every child.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to share my honest opinions.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to share my honest opinions.
September 17, 2018
This is a series of books designed for Christians to shares with children.
"Baby Believer Primers help teach your children the central tenets of the Christian faith that they may never know a day apart from from the Lord".
I applauud the stated reason for producing these books and that they only have biblical verses as text.
I am happy as a bible student that the key verses chosen are the basics of the christian faith and the verses include an animal which is beautifully illustrated.
However, as clever as this aspect of using biblical verses that include an animal, it all falls down with the example of a camel. It is assumed that the wise men followed the star on the back of camels but the text omits this. To my mind this devalues the whole aim of the book even if such subtleties will be lost on the pre-school child.
"Baby Believer Primers help teach your children the central tenets of the Christian faith that they may never know a day apart from from the Lord".
I applauud the stated reason for producing these books and that they only have biblical verses as text.
I am happy as a bible student that the key verses chosen are the basics of the christian faith and the verses include an animal which is beautifully illustrated.
However, as clever as this aspect of using biblical verses that include an animal, it all falls down with the example of a camel. It is assumed that the wise men followed the star on the back of camels but the text omits this. To my mind this devalues the whole aim of the book even if such subtleties will be lost on the pre-school child.
September 9, 2018
"From Eden to Bethlehem" by Danielle Hitchen, with illustrations by Jessica Blanchard, is rich and bright board book to introduce children to many animals in the Bible from the Garden of Eden through to the animals of the Christmas story. In this latest book from the Baby Believer series, the beautiful illustrations bring to life the animals from key scriptures. I had stumbled across "Psalms of Praise" by the author & illustrator this spring while looking for a children's board book to be used for a baby shower guest book. I look forward to picking up this book to share with that family & add to their collection of these beautiful and clear books.
An ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is available for kids and adults on October 2nd.
An ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is available for kids and adults on October 2nd.
December 30, 2019
I got this for my baby niece and I can’t wait to add to the collection! Such a sweet way to introduce animals, by associating them with Bible stories.
Read
November 19, 2018This is a cute board book that, as an animal primer for babies, has a look and feel to it that I believe babies will enjoy. I really like the design of this book and the way it introduces animals with a connection to their role in the Bible, however I feel that the animal/Bible connection could have been a bit clearer and the wording could have been simplified a bit more for the book's primary audience—babies and young children up to 4 years old.
I received this book from NetGalley and the book's publisher in exchange for my honest review, for which I am very grateful.
I received this book from NetGalley and the book's publisher in exchange for my honest review, for which I am very grateful.
November 5, 2018
I'm forever on the lookout for good Bible based books for the Minions, now my niece (who is 3) and nephew (just a baby) to learn and grow with. When this book crossed my Net Galley radar I knew I needed to review it. This is a new author to me who brings an intriguing idea to mind that I wanted to grasp hold of. The idea that you can take a book with truths you want to impart to your child and use the same book through different age stages to reinforce the idea. The book is billed for ages birth to 4. Something, that in the right environment, can truly bring home the Biblical truth of redemption. However. . .
OK, I loved the illustrations. They were bold and colorful and easily identifiable for very young toddlers and children. However, once you get past some of the obvious ones such as the snake and the donkey they lost me just a little bit. I think the loss was in the idea that the Bible versus were not tailored to the understandable vocabulary of a young child. You get into the section from Isiah that tells of the coming of Christ and how the lion will lie down with the lamb and the lion shall eat straw like an ox, etc. Honing in on these animals is a great way to reach children and again the pictures were so capturing but the words that accompanied it are beyond the grasp of my niece.
Starting out with the first image we have words like enmity and betrothed. I truly believe that children can and should learn the Bible (I'm not quite as adherent to a specific version as I know others are) but I also believe that if we want our children to choose the Bible through their lives and want to study the Bible we have to make it approachable for them. I remember as a child struggling to care about reading from the Bible as the words and phrasing were over my head (and I was an advanced reader!). I remember that it wasn't on my radar of want to read books like so many others I buried myself into. I can't help but think that if there had been more approachable, more to my level of understanding, options available that I might have developed a stronger appeal to God's Word than I did. And perhaps I might have actually put forth the effort and desire to study it sooner in life than I did.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Originally posted at https://fizzypopcollection.com/from-e....
OK, I loved the illustrations. They were bold and colorful and easily identifiable for very young toddlers and children. However, once you get past some of the obvious ones such as the snake and the donkey they lost me just a little bit. I think the loss was in the idea that the Bible versus were not tailored to the understandable vocabulary of a young child. You get into the section from Isiah that tells of the coming of Christ and how the lion will lie down with the lamb and the lion shall eat straw like an ox, etc. Honing in on these animals is a great way to reach children and again the pictures were so capturing but the words that accompanied it are beyond the grasp of my niece.
Starting out with the first image we have words like enmity and betrothed. I truly believe that children can and should learn the Bible (I'm not quite as adherent to a specific version as I know others are) but I also believe that if we want our children to choose the Bible through their lives and want to study the Bible we have to make it approachable for them. I remember as a child struggling to care about reading from the Bible as the words and phrasing were over my head (and I was an advanced reader!). I remember that it wasn't on my radar of want to read books like so many others I buried myself into. I can't help but think that if there had been more approachable, more to my level of understanding, options available that I might have developed a stronger appeal to God's Word than I did. And perhaps I might have actually put forth the effort and desire to study it sooner in life than I did.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Originally posted at https://fizzypopcollection.com/from-e....
October 5, 2018
This book is super cool. Not only is it thick and sturdy (my baby needs two hands to carry it), it's downright GORGEOUS. Hitchen draws scripture from all over the Bible, including all of the animals mentioned in Isaiah 11 (the wolf shall lie down with the lamb, etc...). Each page has a bold animal illustration on the right side, and a solid color page opposite with the name of the animal and the context and verse. My 18M old is obsessed with all things animal at the moment, and has brought me this book 4 or 5 times to read since got it (this week).
One small thing (or I would have given it a 5 star) - some of the animal references are things we've historically accepted, but that the Bible itself doesn't explicitly say happened (for example: Mary riding a donkey to Bethlehem, a cow present at Jesus birth, etc...). They do fill in the context for what's going on, so I have no problem with my kids coming away with that image in their heads, but it's simply implied though not explicit in the scripture. Compared to most picture books about Jesus' birth, it's totally on point LOL!
My 18M old is slightly on the young side to get the full benefit of the scriptures and explanations, but he really enjoys looking at the book and (sort of) naming the animals. So hopefully in the next year, his language skills will develop enough to fully enjoy the narrative. I'd say a 2-3 year old is the perfect age window!
One small thing (or I would have given it a 5 star) - some of the animal references are things we've historically accepted, but that the Bible itself doesn't explicitly say happened (for example: Mary riding a donkey to Bethlehem, a cow present at Jesus birth, etc...). They do fill in the context for what's going on, so I have no problem with my kids coming away with that image in their heads, but it's simply implied though not explicit in the scripture. Compared to most picture books about Jesus' birth, it's totally on point LOL!
My 18M old is slightly on the young side to get the full benefit of the scriptures and explanations, but he really enjoys looking at the book and (sort of) naming the animals. So hopefully in the next year, his language skills will develop enough to fully enjoy the narrative. I'd say a 2-3 year old is the perfect age window!
September 22, 2018
As usual, Jessica Blanchard's illustrations are visually lush, bright, and stunning. Danielle Hitchen has managed to tie together solid Scriptural content, learning, and Biblical theology into a board book format, which is no small feat. That said, unlike the other Baby Believer Primers, I'm not sure my toddler will be pulling this one off the shelf regularly, plopping herself in my lap, and requesting "Read it, read it, read it!" The verses selected are quite meaty and long. I can see myself lingering over them with my first grader, explaining them and talking about the narrative of redemptive history. I know one stated idea of Baby Believer Primers is to engage small ones while providing deeper content as hooks for older children. Yet in this particular Primer I think the book went a little too far toward the older child hook and left a little bit too little for a natural board book audience.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harvest House for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harvest House for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
October 4, 2018
If you've been around a baby long enough, you know that board books are essential for their first few years of life. High contrast and engaging content is crucial to keep their tiny attention spans hooked, and this book delivers! These books are large enough, but still perfect for tiny hands, and are extremely durable, which should last through many inevitable chews!
What struck me first about the Baby Believer Series was the elegant artwork. Most baby books have simple, single photos on a plain background. This series, however, has the most intricate and engaging pictures! The pictures are still high contrast, bright and bold colors, not at all "cartoonish", and yet still relatable for young eyes.
I love that the author has taken time to find scripture correlating to the animals in this book. It makes it easy to be able to teach both animals and the bible, which is honestly a bonus as a parent to have scripture at the ready.
I am grateful for the addition of this book to the Baby Believer series! it will be my go-to baby gift!
February 7, 2019
This was a nice little boardbook that was written to explore some of the animals of the Bible while at the same time being directed for very young audiences.
Although the book's concept was great I didn't feel like it was presented right. For a boardbook there was a lot more text than is normally found in one and due to some of the writing is from the Bible, the writing itself is quite unbalanced.
The parts that aren't taken from the Bible are written very plainly and simply for young readers. As a result they are straight to the point and easy to understand. Only in two of the entries, though, are the illustrated animals not mentioned by name.
The timeline is also a bit on the strange side. The verses show up in the right order as the reader would find reading through the Bible but especially with the Isaiah verse the timeline for the animals' appearance isn't quite in order.
The main saving grace in my opinion for the book is the illustrations. Bright, beautifully colored and detailed they will be the reason why this book is quite a win with the younger audiences.
Although the book's concept was great I didn't feel like it was presented right. For a boardbook there was a lot more text than is normally found in one and due to some of the writing is from the Bible, the writing itself is quite unbalanced.
The parts that aren't taken from the Bible are written very plainly and simply for young readers. As a result they are straight to the point and easy to understand. Only in two of the entries, though, are the illustrated animals not mentioned by name.
The timeline is also a bit on the strange side. The verses show up in the right order as the reader would find reading through the Bible but especially with the Isaiah verse the timeline for the animals' appearance isn't quite in order.
The main saving grace in my opinion for the book is the illustrations. Bright, beautifully colored and detailed they will be the reason why this book is quite a win with the younger audiences.
October 2, 2018
From Eden to Bethlehem is another great addition to the Baby Believer series from Catechesis books. The book begins with the snake from the book Genesis and ends with a camel from the book of Matthew. Each illustration includes a Bible verse that has to do with the animal pictured. I like that this book teaches little ones about animal recognition while also helping them learn Scripture. My daughter is really into animals right now and she loves this book. I love that when I read the Baby Believer series to her, not only am I helping her learn about who God is, I'm learning as well. I really enjoyed From Eden to Bethlehem and believe you and your little ones will too! I received From Eden to Bethlehem compliments of Harvest House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
October 2, 2018
This is another beautiful board book by the wonderful Danielle Hitchen and Jessica Blanchard that I am so happy to be able to offer my children. Danielle's thoughtful scripture references and Jessica's beautiful illustrations make this a delightful book that my almost-4-year old and almost-2-year old both love! The engaging animal illustrations are full of lovely details, and I love that we can read relevant passages of Scripture together while reading this book. I'm so happy to have this as a resource, as it is something that will grow with them! This is on my Christmas list to gift to friends and family as well.
September 14, 2018
All children love animals and with that love of animals, you can share with your child the love of God. From the snake to the camel, from Eden to Bethlehem, a short scripture reading with the name of the animal included followed by a beautiful illustration. I love sharing these books with my grandchildren as it gives us a special moment together. It also gives opportunity to teach about the love of God. A love that is shared! Highly recommend.
A Special Thank you to Harvest House Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
A Special Thank you to Harvest House Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
October 2, 2018
This is such a beautiful and engaging book for little minds! The animals are great for kids to recognize while reading Scripture that correlates to the animal. I love that the book begins on the first page instead of having to turn past the title page to get to the main content. The illustrations are also gorgeous as seen by the photos I added!!! I really can't recommend this book enough. We are hooked on the Baby Believer series (we have the other 3 she's written!) and love to purchase them as gifts for new parents or as a birthday gift. You won't be disappointed with this book!
November 5, 2018
I love all of the Baby Believer books! If you are seeking a beautifully designed and intelligently crafted book for your child, look no further! Together my daughter and I read the scripture, and she looks at the images like they are works of art. We love reading these books together. I personally enjoy the fact that these books have scripture, as well as teach my child basics of life- like opposites, animals, and movement. If I could, I’d frame these pages on her wall—they are THAT GORGEOUS! These books would make a great baby shower gift, birthday gift, or Christmas gift!
May 29, 2022
Simple text paired with contemporary English translations from scriptures and vividly designed and executed artwork make this a delightful introduction to a Christian interpretation of the texts for children and their parents. As the publisher states on the back cover: “The creatures featured in From Eden to Bethlehem follow the narrative arc of Scripture and help children understand Jesus's coming as the central story of the Bible.” The prophet Isaiah’s vision of the peaceable kingdom supplies the majority of the animals illustrated in the text.
October 28, 2021
(5☆ Would recommend & would read again)
Great book for kids. I like how it takes different animals in the Bible and uses them to talk about an overarching story of the Bible. It talks about basics from the Bible, in a way that kids can understand, while helping kids learn about animals. It creates an opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about faith.
Great book for kids. I like how it takes different animals in the Bible and uses them to talk about an overarching story of the Bible. It talks about basics from the Bible, in a way that kids can understand, while helping kids learn about animals. It creates an opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about faith.
December 29, 2025
Our third year reading through this Advent book and we all really enjoy it. My littles enjoy reading it to me and pointing things out that that recognize. This year it occurred to me that these passages follow very similarly to the Nine Lessons from our Christmas Eve service which helped the little engage more.
September 10, 2018
Yet another beautiful children’s book from Danielle Hitchen. This book is lovely and my daughter is going to love it! This book does a great job of going through the different animals in the Bible! I recommend this book to get for any children!
December 30, 2019
This book helps children learn animals by going through the redemption story woven throughout the Bible. A neat way to teach them the overarching story of the Bible through something they want to learn anyway! Part of the Baby Believer series.
November 16, 2018
Really great book about animals that were featured in The Bible. A great introduction to animals and scriptures in the bible.
January 7, 2021
part of the Baby Believer series. Each page of the board book focuses on an animal mentioned in the Bible and a short verse that mentions that animal.
Want to Read
April 25, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
October 14, 2018
I have three children with a wide age span. This Christmas my oldest will be 11, my middle child will be 4 and my youngest is 2. Last year we started doing a Jesse Tree for our Advent Season. A Jesse Tree is used to tell the stories of the Bible from Creation through the Christmas Story. Last year finding a devotion book to use was tricky....but when I read From Eden to Bethlehem, I instantly knew I had found what we would use this Christmas with the youngest two. We can still read the stories from the Bible for my oldest, but then we can use this book for the little ones. There are ten animals used in this book, so we could do 2-3 animals each week. I am even planning to find some ornaments with each of the animals for the little ones to put on the tree! This same concept could be used at church for a children's ministry. This book is great year round, but I am specifically very excited about using it this Christmas!
April 30, 2019
Bold beautiful pictures of Bible animals from the Snake in the garden to the camel of the Wise Men. My 5 yr old was fascinated by the wolf and the lamb from Isaiah.
4/30/19 Read with Julia.
2/9/20 Read with Julia
4/19/26 Read with Harper
4/30/19 Read with Julia.
2/9/20 Read with Julia
4/19/26 Read with Harper
July 8, 2025
This goes beyond even the primary teaching subject for little ones and helps them to learn concepts -- in this case, animals -- using stunning artwork, and also working in the basics of Holy Scripture seamlessly. Sturdy and well made, these books are a worthy purchase for any child's library.
September 10, 2018
Cute book! I was curious abot the story that it presents. The idea is great the presentation could be better. Overall a good book
September 13, 2018
What a beautiful introduction to sacred scripture through the interest of animals! This is a book a parent or adult would need to read with a child. It could be a read aloud, but not one in which you expect toddlers or K-2 kiddos to really understand that well. There are direct quotes from the Bible that refer to whichever animal is featured in the beautiful accompanying illustration. The Bible passages are sometimes intermixed with a more succinct transition, clearly so that the adult isn't just reading verse after verse to someone with such a short attention span.
This is definitely something to put on your shelf, if you want to surround your family in scripture and to show it is relevant to their interests. Again, those illustrations are delicious! I received this book for free from NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers in exchange for a fair review.
This is definitely something to put on your shelf, if you want to surround your family in scripture and to show it is relevant to their interests. Again, those illustrations are delicious! I received this book for free from NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers in exchange for a fair review.
September 20, 2018
Along the same lines as my expectations for Danielle's other book ("Let There Be Light"), I had high hopes for this book. Though the illustrations are beautiful and it's filled with Scripture my 4 year old wasn't really drawn in to it. I think he maybe would have enjoyed the paper version more.
I love the idea of introducing animals to little ones, connecting them to Scripture, which is what this book does really well.
*I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I love the idea of introducing animals to little ones, connecting them to Scripture, which is what this book does really well.
*I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 19, 2018
“From Eden to Bethlehem”, another book in the Baby Believer series by Danielle Hitchen, could be considered “Baby’s first Biblical survey”. It begins in Eden, with the first messianic prophecy (Genesis 3:15) and ends with the wise men worshipping the child Jesus. The book is an excellent primer to read your children about how the Bible all points to the coming of Jesus Christ (and learning about animals, of course). As with the whole series, the artist Jessica Blanchard illustrates beautifully. The colours are bright and pleasant for children to look at, and the artwork is gorgeous enough for even the parents to appreciate. I most certainly recommend this book and the whole Baby Believer series by Hitchen and Blanchard.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews