“The illustrations and the simple, clear texts are very attractive to children.
They like to pick up the Bible, to read it and explain the texts to their younger brothers and sisters.”
– Sister Miriam Garcia, who works with street children in Brazil
“You cannot imagine what it means to be able to read the Word of God in our own mother tongue, in the language in which we pray and weep.”
– A recipient of the Child’s Bible in Africa
Thirty years of the Child’s Bible
The story of a global phenomenon
Aid to the Church in Need’s Child’s Bible was first published in 1979 in response to a call from Pope John Paul II to bring the Word of God to the weakest in our world – children “so poor that they cannot afford any book.”
In 1979 – the United Nations Year of the Child – Aid to the Church in Need offered the Child’s Bible as a pastoral aid to bishops attending the Third General Assembly of Latin American Bishops, in Pueblo, Mexico.
In the 30 years since its launch, the Child’s Bible has gone on to become a worldwide phenomenon, far exceeding the expectations even of the late John Paul II. To date some 47 million copies have been sent to poor Christian children and adults in countries all over the world.
Part of the appeal of the ‘little Bible’ is that it is accessible to speakers of so many different languages. Sometimes it is one of the very few published books in a language, and often it is the first book that the children or adults receiving the Child’s Bible have ever held.
Teaching the Word of God – and literacy
As well as meeting with great acclaim for its value as an important instrument of pastoral work, the Child′s Bible also plays a key role in helping people learn to read.
And it has cultural value too – bringing the medium of print to languages and dialects that are largely oral, and, for some ethnic groups, confirming a sense of identity, for example in the dialects of Nivaclé in Paraguay, Mapudungun in Chile, Turkana in Kenya and Kiyaka in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Complementing the child-friendly texts, the colourful illustrations by Sister Miren Sorne appeal to children and adults alike, regardless of their country of origin.
By printing and distributing the Child’s Bible, Aid to the Church in Need is making a contribution to evangelisation worldwide – as part of our own pastoral mission and following in the footsteps of Saint Paul.