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Action Bible

The Action Bible: God's Redemptive Story

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Here’s the most complete picture Bible ever! And it features a captivating, up-to-date artwork style—making it the perfect Bible for today’s visually focused culture. 
The Action Bible presents 215 fast-paced narratives in chronological order, making it easier to follow the Bible’s historical flow—and reinforcing the build-up to its thrilling climax. The stories in The Action Bible communicate clearly and forcefully to contemporary readers. This compelling blend of clear writing plus dramatic images offers an appeal that crosses all age boundaries. Brazilian artist Sergio Cariello has created attention-holding illustrations marked by rich coloring, dramatic shading and lighting, bold and energetic designs, and emotionally charged figures. Let this epic rendition draw you into all the excitement of the world’s most awesome story.

752 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

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About the author

David C. Cook

385 books28 followers
David C. Cook is a nonprofit Christian publisher based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was established in 1875 and publishes fiction and nonfiction. It uses its profits for global ministry. For many years, it published a Christian comic book, Sunday Pix, with stories about the adventures of Christian heroes in many different eras and in many parts of the world.

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5 stars
2,327 (69%)
4 stars
696 (20%)
3 stars
214 (6%)
2 stars
42 (1%)
1 star
50 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews
April 4, 2020
The Good: The artwork in this volume is amazing; every frame is very detailed and features great shading effects. This book also does a good job of putting Bible stories in kid-friendly terms, and uses both well-known and obscure parts of the source material. Not only that, but, it also references the Apocrypha, which is good for readers like me who are unfamiliar with it. All that said...

The Bad: The lettering could have used some work. I understand that the words are easier to put in via a computer than by hand, but, it made some of the important expressions--i.e., the writing on the wall in Daniel, or the cries of the crowd to crucify Christ--less impacting than they could have been. Not only that, but, the section for Revelation was a joke; a book full of strange visuals and prophecies, and all we get is three pages? Some people may have a problem with the Apocrypha being referenced in this work. The biggest problem, though, was that, in many of the stories, too much was implied instead of shown. If you're doing a graphic novel, you need to show us, not tell us!

Conclusion: A great concept, but a merely decent product. Kids who enjoy Bible stories will probably love this; I liked it to a degree, but, it could have been better. Still, I must give Sergio Carello kudos for undertaking such a massive project in order to bring God's Word to the new generation.
Profile Image for Masterreader.
4 reviews
February 27, 2013
I'm a Christian so this just touches my heart because of my belief in God because of what he has done for me!
Profile Image for Debbie.
3,475 reviews70 followers
September 14, 2010
"The Action Bible" is a comic-book style picture Bible for children ages 5-8, though older children will also enjoy it. I'd personally call this book Biblical fiction rather than "a Bible" since extra-Biblical comments, commentary, and historical information was worked into the book's summary of Biblical events. Also, some Biblical events were left out. Sexual content and gore was largely smoothed over (using euphemism or implication) or skipped entirely.

I really liked that the events were in chronological order and shown in their historical setting. Several psalms were worked into David's life story and several proverbs into Solomon's story. The prophets gave their (summarized) prophecies during the actual events where they were given, and Paul's (summarized) letters were shown as written when they really were written during his travels. There were even some maps of Paul's missionary travels. Also, the Old Testament flowed into the New Testament through a brief (and clearly marked as not in the Bible) historical summary of the events that happened between the two. So the Bible came across as a continuous historical account of God relating to man with a redemptive plan in action (rather than as disconnected morality tales about heroes of the past).

I was also very impressed by the vivid, detailed illustrations. The illustrator did an excellent job of correctly showing the character's age, ethnicity, and culture. The illustrations were a lot more accurate than other Children's Bibles I've seen.

And, best of all, children really will read this book without prompting by their parents. I'm testing it on two boys (ages 5 & 10). The report for day 1 is that whenever they weren't running around, they were looking at this Bible.

However, like most children's storybooks, the stories in "The Action Bible" were only "based on" the Bible. The author always indicated "based on Judges 16:1-20" or whatever verses and, overall, did a good job accurately summarizing the Bible accounts. But the author's interpretation is a part of the text. Those highly familiar with the Bible are likely to come across several places where they won't precisely agree with the wording used--or they'll wish that some point that was omitted or implied was more clearly stated. But, again, that's usually true.

As long as parents don't neglect teaching the actual Bible, "The Action Bible" is an excellent foundational overview of the Bible that children simply aren't getting any other place, including at church. I'd highly recommend this "Action Bible" for use with elementary aged children instead of children's story books.


I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
Profile Image for Beth.
Author 19 books152 followers
June 28, 2012
This book's best qualities are its worst ones too. Kids will love to look at it, and I like that it draws them in. There are, though, obvious problems with reading the Bible through an action hero lens, and sometimes the hermeneutics are just odd. Nonetheless, glad I own it for the fascination it provides, especially to the boys.
Profile Image for Manybooks.
3,482 reviews104 followers
August 27, 2024
Well and of course, I have not read every single page of The Action Bible graphic novel (2010), as over seven-hundred pages in a cartoon format are definitely and simply just a bit too hard on my ageing eyes unless I am just very cursively skimming (and mostly because how The Action Bible is presented on Open Library is often more than a bit visually blurry and either too washed-out or too darkly hued regarding the presented colour schemes and equally and even more annoyingly so with minuscule scripts that tend to cause me eyestrain and headaches even if I am using my reading glasses). But I was definitely interested checking if The Action Bible as a whole, as an entity, and featuring both the Old and also the New Testaments in their entirety (retold and edited by Doug Mauss and with accompanying cartoons by Sergio Cariello) would both textually and illustratively be a bit better, less horrible and frustrating to and for me than the truly all-round aggravating (but indeed also part of the Action Bible series of graphic novels) The Battle Begins: The Story of Creation (where I in every way do tend to find Caleb Seely's featured text massively problematic, not all that much in my opinion following the Biblical time-line and where I also totally and utterly cannot visually stand how Sergio Cariello's artwork has turned God's Angels into visions of Norse, of Viking warrior deities, where Heaven resembles Asgard and where God is aesthetically depicted by Cariello like a mirror image of the Greek god Apollo or perhaps Hermes).

But appreciatively so, what I have textually, what I have narrationally noticed from and while skimming through The Action Bible is that how Doug Mauss has retold the Biblical texts of both the Old Testament and equally so the New Testament, this (and very much unlike The Battle Begins: The Story of Creation I might add and indeed majorly and happily so) does very decently and nicely follow the general themes and contents as well as the general tone of both parts, of both the Old and the New Testament in a pretty well linear fashion and that the chapters of The Action Bible thus appear quite akin to text-only models of the Holy Bible (such as for example the Geneva Bible or the King James Version). However, just to say and to also complain a wee bit, yes, I do find it perhaps a trifle frustrating that while there is a heavy focus on action, on battles, heroics and also somewhat on violence (even though I was kind of expecting this with a book title like The Action Bible), well, questions of sexuality, nudity, incest, rape and the like (and even though all of these issues do appear quite regularly in the Holy Bible and particular in the Old Testament) are often either being wilfully ignored by Mauss or are made to appear euphemistic and not all that problematic in and of themselves (and which does bother me, which does feel a bit lacking and making The Action Bible somewhat incomplete regarding certain issues and negative types of behaviours). However and still, The Action Bible is textually speaking pretty decent and in my opinion not too much altered from the Biblical texts and that my above mentioned complaints are also and indeed rather minor and certainly not something huge and massive.

And indeed, the only reason why my rating for The Action Bible is three and not four stars is that there is one part of Sergio Cariello's cartoons that I rather dislike and find not only aesthetically annoying but also uncomfortable and intellectually, academically questionable. For while I generally think that Cariello's pictures do a pretty good job reflecting Doug Mauss' text for The Action Bible and vice versa (and that the human figures depicted, including Jesus Christ, look Mediterranean/Middle Eastern and not Northern or Western European, since yes, the events depicted in both the Old and also in the New Testaments mostly take place in the Middle East, in what is now Greece, Turkey and Southern Italy), why then are God's Angels generally illustrated by Sergio Careiello as being tall, blond-haired and looking decidedly Northern or Western European? And while this is in fact not something hugely problematic, it does indeed aesthetically rather bug me (and in particular since Cariello seems to visually follow in The Action Bible the unfortunate tendency of how in particular European art often has tended to make in particular angelic beings, God and the Holy Family looks very white skinned and very Northern and Western instead of Southern and Eastern).
Profile Image for Larissa.
183 reviews
January 4, 2017
I've always been intimidated by the Bible. I'm not in any way saying this a replacement, but I think it's good for younger people to read first so that they touch the surface of God's work and know generally what every Christian should know. It will help ease them into the Bible. I loved the action Bible. I loved the artwork and the graphic novel idea of it. Good work, Mauss!
Profile Image for Adalynn Grace Ebejer.
13 reviews3 followers
May 5, 2020
I am reading it for the third time 😂I love this book it is awesome ♥️😆😃
51 reviews
August 2, 2016
As a seminary graduate who studied the original languages, I am not closed to new Bible translations. I appreciate a wide variety of Bibles, including the Geneva Bible, King James, NKJV, ESV, NIV, NASB, NLT etc. However, when I do come across a new Bible translation, I evaluate it based on its usability and faithfulness to the original text.

This Action Bible is not a faithful translation, nor does it seem to attempt to be one. It readily adds opinion and emotional sentences to the Word of God. Example: In Genesis, it changes the story of Adam and Eve's fall and shortens it to portray Eve as the only guilty party and the only one responsible. We know the Word of God portrays both Eve and Adam (who was with her when she ate of the forbidden fruit) as guilty. I'm not a feminist but this word seems to disrespect women by blaming them and holding them at a lower status. I was dismayed to see this Bible add dialogue to the Word of God that does not exist - a scene is added between Adam and Eve, where he scolds her for her emotional and foolish thoughts. This scene never takes place in the Word of God. The authors of the Action Bible have added this scene to portray Eve as an foolish and emotional woman and Adam as the intelligent male.
Profile Image for Crystal.
82 reviews
January 18, 2015
My boys have been reading "The Brick Bible," which illustrates the Old and New Testaments with Lego. While it's very well done ... it's also very graphic, and I'm not entirely comfortable with some of the depictions of blood and war for my 9 and 7 year old kids.

The ACTION BIBLE is awesome. It's like a comic book, with exciting illustrations and dialogue. The stories are retold in a minimalist style, and the books / chapters / verses are called out, so if you want to go back to a "real" Bible to reference the story, you can look it up.

I read this one cover-to-cover this weekend to make sure it's more appropriate for my boys. And I highly recommend it!
Profile Image for Gail Welborn.
609 reviews15 followers
April 29, 2013
***...especially good Bible for reluctant readers...***

The Action Bible targets juveniles ages eight and up with the look and feel of a graphic novel, from its kid-friendly artwork to its comic book style dialog boxes with easy-to-understand language. Because of that it doesn’t follow a specific Bible translation, such as NIV, HSCB or King James. Instead the comic book style format simply tells over 200 Bible stories without further explanation.

The Bible was awarded best children’s Bible in 2011 by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) www.christianretailing.com/index.php/... perhaps due to the efforts of award-winning DC and Marvel comic’s illustrator, Sergio Cariello.

Doug Mauss, General Editor believes children are the “…next generation of difference-makers.” He wants them to understand Bible stories are about imperfect people, just as you and I are imperfect, yet God used them in spite of their imperfections.

He uses the breathtaking artistry of Sergio Cariello to capture their attention with an analogy to the action…Full Review: http://tinyurl.com/bl4tlxp
Profile Image for Lucas Sosa.
10 reviews
December 15, 2017
"The Action Bible" by Doug Mauss has different stories from the bible in a whole new way, in comic form. Some of the stories/people included are Adam and Eve, as well as Abraham and Mosese. Also in the first few few pages, it includes how God created the world. I recommend this book to all people of all kind, because I want more people to believe in the one true god, and it is also a really great book. Thank you Doug for making this comic of some bible stories.
Profile Image for Justin Steckbauer.
91 reviews30 followers
February 10, 2022
I absolutely loved this Action Bible. It was really powerful. I'm a very visual person though, so it was a breath of fresh air to my Bible study skills
Profile Image for Loraena.
385 reviews23 followers
March 2, 2016
This is an excellent kids Bible storybook. It's not a redemptive, story-arc emphasis book like The Jesus Storybook Bible or The Big-Picture Bible, but it is true to scripture with great attention to detail, excellent narrative, and very accurate. It is also the first children's bible that captivated my eldest. She absolutely loved the non-cutesy graphic novel style illustrations and speech bubble conversations. The simple, straightforward retelling of scripture resonated with her in a way stylized commentary and summaries hadn't - even the ones targeted at kids. Certainly there is a place for those things, but there's absolutely a place for simple narrative on a level kids can comprehend. Our adult small group even got it out when we studied Daniel, because it has such great illustrations of the beasts. :)
Profile Image for Margaret Chind.
3,194 reviews253 followers
February 5, 2016
I was intrigued with the Action Bible Devotional and entertained by the NT and driven to see The Action Bible. Now that I have, it's even better than I could imagine. This thick, taller than standard book has it all. Vibrant adventurous graphic novel illustrations provide knowledge and entertainment. Anyone who wants to call the Bible boring will not be able to say the same after reading through this. Sometimes kids need to be met where they are and this graphic novel designed scripture may be just the seed to plant.

Thanks to David C. Cook.
Profile Image for Kelly Mize.
14 reviews
March 13, 2015
I haven't read the entire thing yet, but it is an excellent teaching resource, silent read for kids, and so high-interest. It flows logically and smoothly, not chopping from one story to the next as some Bibles for kids sometimes do. Pages are flagged for a particular lesson the kids will have next week, and I'll be surprised if they aren't well-engaged.
Read
March 24, 2016
This book was about God. About all the good things he did for us and all the other stories about Moses, Noah, Samsun, David, Samuel, Daniel, Salomon and so on. I like this book because first off this is my religion And because it's talking about a lot of good things that could happen to you. I would recommend this book to everyone because this book teaches you a lot.
Profile Image for Sharon.
63 reviews77 followers
January 20, 2018
This was a beautiful way to read the Bible. I highly enjoyed it and will probably be re-reading this every year. The illustrations are incredible! I did not give it 5 stars because the last chapter Revelation was very short. I know it's a really difficult chapter, but there could've been done much more than what it is now in the book.
Profile Image for Jenny Deaner.
21 reviews1 follower
January 25, 2014
Magnificent for little boys. Not a "real" bible, put an excellent bible storybook. Written like an amazing comic book....not like a cheap knock off comic style.
29 reviews
June 21, 2014
Beautiful illustrations. Kept my children entranced. A really beautiful rendering of the Bible.
Profile Image for Alexa Boksiner.
24 reviews2 followers
November 28, 2017
This is so much fun to read. The comic pictures are fun to look at while reading Bible stories. They help me understand better as well. Our God is truly an AWESOME God!
Profile Image for Grace.
1,118 reviews84 followers
May 12, 2022
This was great! Not perfect by any means, and definitely way too white, but it was great to get a visual companion to my most recent read through the Bible.
Profile Image for Mathew.
Author 6 books39 followers
October 13, 2012
I previously reviewed The Action Bible and gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars but it’s steadily grown on me. You can see some of my positive comments below.

I have two young kids and so I’m always on the look out for illustrated stories and Bibles. My oldest loves to read books and we supplement our family Bible reading time with another illustrated Bible. What I like about The Action Bible was that it rooted its narrative in Scripture. Each section had a subheading with “based on” and then the Scripture reference. That tells me the writer know that their book is a supplement to the Bible and not a replacement.

For me that’s huge because I want my kids to know the importance and primacy of the Word of God while also being able to enjoy illustrated Bible stories. I can start each section with “This is based off of this Bible story from Luke 1. Let’s look at that real quick” and then delve into the illustrated story it helps convey that truth. Also, the stories seemed more faithful to the Biblical narrative then some other Bible stories we have tried out. Again this conveys an important truth about the Word of God.

In the original review, I said I was unsure if I enjoyed the illustrations but as I said they’ve grown on me and my oldest daughter loves to read out of this storybook. If I were rating The Action Bible today I would give it four out of five stars. Excellent work and you’ll love it more if you appreciate classic comic book art.

Last, I received a copy of The Action Bible Devotional. It stands alone but could also work in tandem with the The Action Bible. The devotional takes 52 Bible stories and provides application and insight for everyday life. They are fun and build up. It’s also not an overwhelming devotional because it’s meant to be used once a week. I can envision using it to jump start our every day family worship because it gives great questions and activities. After each story you’ll have:

key verse
x-ray vision (short thought connecting with gospel story)
Mission (three fun activities to make the story tangible)
Debrief (questions)
Mission Accomplished (Notes, etc)
Share the Adventure (Ideas for involvement)
Big Picture (Creative Page to write, draw, or add to devotional)

It’s not your typical devotional because it’s so interactive. Unless you’re just a complete bore there’s no way your kids won’t enjoy this. Have fun with it. Explore. Create. Apply. Celebrate the creativity of God within the pages of The Action Bible Devotional.
Profile Image for Nikki in Niagara.
4,170 reviews155 followers
February 7, 2017
This took me a long time to read but it is very good. First, the illustrations by DC & Marvel illustrator Sergio Cariello are gorgeous! Secondly, the book is not arranged by the books of the Bible, as usual, rather, instead, it is arranged chronologically really providing an historical view of the "Greatest Story". This really helps in the OT presenting one continuous story. Between the OT and NT is a non-biblical history of what went on during those years and though not noted as such this contains some information from Maccabees. The NT is already mostly chronological but it brings a bigger picture by weaving the Letters throughout Acts. While the book is intended for children I'd recommend it for any age. As a Catholic, I found the Protest publisher's take to be Catholic-friendly with only a few common Protestant-only ideas.
March 5, 2018
the action bible was really great it had lots of lessons and stories. the Action bible really had a spark in my life because it really helped me understand whether the story looks like or how it was like felling the way they felt. I really recommend this book to those who haven't found the glory of God
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews

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