The Scriptures clearly and repeatedly command parents to teach our children the discipline and instruction of the Lord. That is to teach them the Scriptures. And thankfully today there are a multitude of books and resources to help us do just that. So here you can find some of my favorites that I think that you should add to your home library.

Each Friday of August, I will be spotlighting and reviewing some of my favorite theological books for children, before we launch into part 2 of The Pilgrim’s Progress in September.

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With the exception of Jonah and perhaps the opening chapters of Hosea, the twelve Minor Prophets are without a doubt some of the least understood books of the Bible. And even when it comes to Jonah, many have a recollection of the story that cuts off after chapter three. Thus, whenever I stumbled upon this boxset containing children’s books on Zephaniah, Haggai, Habakkuk, and Obadiah (coauthored by John Brown and Brian Wright), I snatched it up, and after reading them several times through with my daughter, I would certainly encourage anyone to do the same.

According to the series description:

God’s Daring Dozen delivers major lessons from the Minor Prophets in story book form. The twelve books between Daniel and Matthew are unfamiliar to many believers, so this series accurately introduces these inspired writings with vivid images and simple words that engage children and adults alike. These biblically faithful, theologically rich, gospel-centered books will captivate young readers, teach truth, and inspire faith in God and in His Son.

I certainly believe that each book succeeds in that goal to teach children the overall message of each prophet.

For instance, Obadiah is largely God’s judgment upon the Edomites, so Brown and Wright begin Obadiah & the Edomites by explaining that the Edomites were the descendants of Esau and were expected by God to treat the Israelites as their family. They then conclude by showing how the Israelites were supposed to take warning from God’s promise to judge the Edomites and to take comfort in God’s final judgment when all wickedness will be defeated once and for all.

Or in Haggai’s Feast, they explain how God had exiled Judah, brought them home, and commanded them to rebuild the temple. Yet the people of Judah stopped building when threatened by their enemies, so God stopped blessing them until Haggai came with the message to keep rebuilding the temple. The book then largely explains the five messages that Haggai was sent to give across four days.

Indeed, having already preached through Haggai, Haggai’s Feast would have made a great resource to give away or recommend to families with young children, but I will certainly look toward this series the next time that I preach through one of the Minor Prophets.

While each book ultimately ends with a snapshot of how that book points to Christ, they certainly let each book have the carry its own prophetic theme, and I greatly appreciate that a significant portion of Zephaniah’s Hero and Habakkuk’s Song are written in poetry, since the Holy Spirit led both prophets to do so.

Currently, only the first volume is available, but two more boxsets each containing four books are planned to complete all twelve of the Minor Prophets. According to the publisher, the next volume is set to be released in January and will cover Jonah, Nahum, Joel, and Malachi, and my daughter and I can’t wait!