Recently I was given the opportunity to review a new Bible that’s being released by Zondervan. It’s an NIV Bible designed for journaling and note taking, and it’s targeted at girls. It’s a pretty cool Bible all in all.
Obviously, 99% of the Bible doesn’t change when we purchase one from the hundred different options on Amazon or at the bookstore. An NIV Bible is an NIV Bible. So we end up with the opportunity to choose based on things like the size of the book, the color, and any added features the publisher adds like study notes, devotional guides, etc.
This one is a hard back cover, and has a paisley design in blue, gold, and pink. Being the dad of two teenage girls, it seems to hit the color scheme and design that many girls lean towards today. It reminds me a ton of the adult coloring books I’ve bought my girls lately.
Inside, there is a brief journaling prompt page at the beginning. There aren’t any embedded reading plans or devotionals. Each page has a journal space on the outer edges where the reader is encouraged to write prayers, thoughts, drawings, or anything else that comes to them as they read. I’m a huge fan of people journaling and drawing as part of their Bible study, so I think this part is awesome.
The publishers were obviously faced with a challenge in this design. You want to print this on thick enough paper that journaling with a pen doesn’t bleed through. But you want the paper to be thin enough that the Bible isn’t huge and too heavy. The paper in this one is a little thicker than the parchment style paper in many Bibles, but it is much thinner than a typical journal. While ink won’t likely bleed through the page, you will see the writing on one side from the back side of that page. Not a deal killer, and I understand why they did it, but a little thicker paper would have been awesome if possible.
All in all, if you’re looking for a good gift for a girl or lady you know, especially if they like journaling, this one is well worth the look.
JasonChenoweth.com 