1517 Media & Children’s Literacy
What do you think of when you hear the term biblical literacy? Memorizing the books of the Bible in order? Naming a the major characters in the Old and New Testaments? Citing Bible verses by heart?
At 1517 Media, our congregational and book imprints support and build children’s biblical literacy in a more holistic way. We publish several illustrated story Bibles and NRSV Bibles to accompany our Frolic, Spark, and Whirl curricula. These Bibles help support biblical literacy because they are typically encountered in a Sunday school setting so that kids explore texts in a supportive pedagogical environment where they receive context and can ask questions. They interact with these biblical texts in all kinds of ways—younger children use illustrated story Bibles to point to pictures, trace the story’s action, and make connections with their own lives of faith. In our best-selling Spark NRSV Bible, older kids can use the stickers in the back of the Bible to mark what they’ve read and note their questions.
Here’s the amazing bonus that happens when your congregation supports biblical literacy in kids—you are also supporting print literacy! And print literacy is one of the strongest predictors of educational achievement and a host of other markers of healthy development. Imagine that!
Your church supporting biblical literacy—listening to and reading Bible stories, asking questions, remembering past stories, connecting events and themes to their own lives—is also supporting children’s exploration of print, language, plot, character development, and more. What a powerful statement we make as the church when we convey how we are supporting holistic child development!
As the publisher of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we have been releasing Bibles for many years, but more recently we added a children’s book imprint to our company—Beaming Books. This imprint publishes dozens of titles designed to help kids thrive. Many of their books support biblical literacy in additional ways by inviting kids into deeper exploration of Bible times (the four-book Curious Kid series for elementary-aged kids). Many titles also provide devotional content that is rooted in scripture, prayers for families, and stories rooted in the major events of the church year. Check out beamingbooks.com for more titles, and keep reading to your kids!
Dawn Rundman, Ph.D.
Director of Congregational Development and Marketing, 1517 Media