Teaching children to love God’s Word is an important part of parenting. Kids need to see for themselves how God worked in people’s lives through the stories of the Bible and how Jesus infuses all of Scripture.

In the following question-and-answer, Sheila Walsh (@SheilaWalsh) talks about her books, Where Do I Find Jesus? (B&H Kids, 2016) and The Bible Is My Best Friend Bible Storybook (B&H Kids, 2016).

What inspired you to write The Bible Is My Best Friend Bible Storybook series for children?

Sheila Walsh: I want children to understand how amazing the Bible is. It’s the best adventure book and the greatest love story ever written. Even greater than that, we’re invited into this adventure with God and the love story is all about how much we’re loved.

This series is intended for children ages 4-10. How do you hope children will grow by reading the newest books in the series, The Bible Is My Best Friend Bible Storybook and Where Do I Find Jesus?

Sheila Walsh: Our culture is flooded with people and places giving all sorts of messages to our children. Our little girls are being told they’re not pretty enough or not thin enough. Television provides poor role models for little boys as to what it means to be brave; to be a true hero. My prayer is that as children discover how loved and valued they are by God, through reading The Bible Is My Best Friend Bible Storybook, they’ll grow strong in him.

I can’t think of anything in life being more important than knowing that your child has a relationship with Jesus. I’m praying that many children will come to a place of understanding that having a real relationship with Jesus is not just for moms and dads but for them too.

How does The Bible Is My Best Friend Bible Storybook correspond to The Bible Is My Best Friend Family Devotional and how can families use them together?

Sheila Walsh: My heart in writing The Bible Is My Best Friend Family Devotional was to make it fun for families to come together at the end of the day, spend some quality time together laughing and learning about God and each other. With The Bible Is My Best Friend Storybook there’s now an opportunity to dive in deeper to some of the Bible stories and grow in faith.

How do the unique illustrations bring the stories to life?

Sheila Walsh: Sarah Horne is such an amazing illustrator. Her love for God and her out-of-the-box creativity have taken stories we thought we knew and given them fresh life. Who knew that it was so much fun getting onto Noah’s ark?

How can parents use the resources in The Bible Is My Best Friend brand—specifically these two new releases—to help children understand the role of God’s Word in their lives?

Sheila Walsh: The Word of God is the foundation stone for life. When children begin to understand that every question they have is addressed in the Bible, then they know where to turn when life is hard. We all—children and parents alike—need to be reminded of the grace and mercy of God, of the power of forgiveness, and of our future and our hope. With the new Bible Storybook, families can read together about the love of God that started way back in the very beginning. Parents can help their children understand that even when we let God down, he never lets us down. He’s a faithful, loving Father.

How will these resources help parents in leading their child to Christ?

Sheila Walsh: Where Do I Find Jesus? is a wonderful place to start if your child has questions about having a faith of their own. Sometimes it’s hard to find the right words to explain what it means to know Jesus, so I pray that this book will help.

What are you most excited about with the release of these two new books?

Sheila Walsh: I’m excited about children getting excited about God! I long to see hundreds and thousands of children begin the great adventure of life with a personal relationship with Jesus and his love-letter, the Bible, in their hearts and hands.

Bio: Sheila Walsh is a powerful Bible teacher and bestselling author from Scotland with over 5 million books sold, including 5 Minutes with Jesus: A Fresh Infusion of Joy and The Longing in Me. Her international ministry has reached more than 5.5 million women by combining honesty, vulnerability, and humor with the transforming power of God’s Word. Calling Texas home, Sheila lives in Frisco with her husband, Barry, her son, Christian, and three little dogs. You can reach her at braveheartsisterhood.com.

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