The biblical story of Noah’s Ark and the Flood is an important one for Christians.
Our kids benefit so much from hearing God’s Word straight from the Bible. We never want to withhold God’s Word to us from our children.
Our children also benefit from biblical resources and tools that help them envision important biblical events.
Our teens benefit from books and resources that help them explore the veracity of God’s Word on a deeper level. Apologetics–the defense of our faith–matter, especially for young people who will soon be confronted with arguments against Scripture.
Noah and the Ark from the Bible
You can read the story of Noah and the Ark in the Bible in Genesis chapters 6-9.
It’s interesting that God spends so much time on the story of his salvation of his chosen people–Noah’s nuclear family. The story of Noah’s Ark helps us better understand important principles:
- God’s holiness, sovereignty, wrath, and mercy
- Our sin nature and the punishment for our sin
- God’s great plan for salvation through Jesus, as exemplified through the Ark
- Christ’s mandates to his followers to obey and live righteously as we are progressively sanctified in him
The story of Noah’s Ark is one your kids can explore again and again, not only as your family read it together from the Bible, but also as they explore these wonderful books on the biblical story of Noah and the Ark that I’ve compiled for you below.
Teaching the Bible to your kids doesn’t have to be hard.
Noah’s Ark Picture Books
For younger children, these four Noah’s Ark picture books are a wonderful way to introduce the story of Noah and the flood. Kids can take their time examining the illustrations and paintings on their own. These are all great additions to your family library.
- Noah’s Ark by Jerry Pinkney (Chronicle Books, 2002) – This Caldecott Honor Book has beautiful illustrations and follows the biblical narrative of Noah and the flood well. Pinkney adds narrative that, while not a part of the biblical story, makes sense. Consider his text on an amazing spread showing sea creatures swimming over towns:
The water rose over cities and towns.
Whales swam down ruined streets.
Schools of fish darted through empty windows.Your kids will love this delightful picture book.
- Noah’s Ark by Peter Spier (Doubleday, 1977) – Children will love the intricate and engaging illustrations in this Caldecott Medal Winner Book. Spier’s book includes a one-page copy of a snappy poem by Jacobus Revius (1586-1658). Spier translates this from the Dutch and, shockingly, it rhymes and is fun to read. The rest of the book is a series of fabulous illustrations showing the loading of the ark, the flood, the journey, and the Noah planting a new vineyard on the earth. This is a beautiful book kids can spend time looking at on their own. You’ll want to spend just a little more and get a hardcover rather than the paperback. This is a book to pass on to your grandkids.
- Noah’s Ark by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, adapted by Linda Falken (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2015) – This beautiful volume follows the biblical narrative closely, though the introduction (one page) speaks of the story of Noah in a way that makes it clear the story is enduring and important, but does not treat it as inspired. Still, this is a beautiful volume and a great way to talk to kids about art history. (I just wouldn’t read the introduction to younger children.) Each spread tells the story of Noah and the ark and is illustrated with a painting from history. Kids will be introduced to the work of artists like Currier & Ives, John Henry Dearle, Crispijn de Passe the Elder, Marc Chagall, and others. Many of the paintings do depict God, as was popular in the Middle Ages.
- Noah’s Ark: A Hidden Pictures Storybook by Theresa Bateman (Highlights Press, 2021) – With engaging narrative and fun pictures, this book from Highlights gives kids lots of small items to search for in each larger illustration. The narrative follows the biblical story, but does take liberties with how the story is told. That’s pretty common for the Noah’s Ark picture books for younger kids.
Each of these beautifully illustrated Noah’s Ark picture books has it’s own appeal.
Fun Noah’s Ark Toys
Noah’s Ark Apologetics Books for Kids
It’s important that our kids know the story of Noah and the Ark from the Bible. The story of Noah’s Ark also happens to be a great place for our kids to delve into the veracity of God’s Word.
Since the time of the early Church, atheists have attacked the biblical narrative. Both Origen (c. 184 – c. 253 AD) and Augustine (354-430 AD) countered contemporary criticism of the possibility that Noah build an Ark to house the animals and that there was a worldwide flood.
Master Books has some wonderful Creation science resources available. Their books are always wonderfully designed and printed. The three books below address the overall story of the flood, the design of Noah’s Ark, and the global stories of a worldwide flood in ways that will enable your older elementary and middle school students to defend their faith.
- The True Story of Noah’s Ark by Tom Dooley (Master Books, 2003) – Tom Dooley’s 72-page picture book about Noah’s Ark, beautifully illustrated by Bill Looney, is designed to introduce children to some of the deeper aspects of the story and background information. As such, there is some speculation based on the biblical account. Consider text from one of the spreads in Dooley’s book:
To build an ark of such proportions as the Lord had detailed must have seemed a formidable task to Noah. But not only had God given him three strong sons, He also promised to be with him every step of the way. The Lord would have made sure Noah was able to obtain everything he needed. Noah’s faith was surely magnified daily as the Lord overcame every obstacle for him. But there was one thing Noah had never seen and could not even imagine what it would be like–a global flood.
- Noah’s Ark: Thinking Outside the Box by Tim Lovett (Master Books, 2008) – Tim Lovett is a mechanical engineer and naval expert, which shows in his 80-page, full-color book. Lovett covers the technical aspects of building a boat as big and functional as Noah’s Ark needed to be in order to follow God’s design and carry out his plan. Lovett actually built models and tested the feasibility of the Ark. Sections of the book are:
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- The Biblical Directive (Why we believe the biblical account in God’s Word.)
- The Ark (The Ark’s design and former ideas and legends.)
- The Ark in Detail (All of the nitty gritty of the boat, the feeding and housing of the animals, and seaworthiness.)
- The Deluge (The flood and reports of the ark surviving today.)
- Perspective (The gospel. The wisdom of speculating about features of the Ark.
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- The Flood of Noah: Legends & Lore of Survival by Bodie Hodge and Laura Welch (Master Books, 2014) – I love the Legends & Lore series (so did my kids!). The Flood of Noah discusses the prevalence of flood legends across the globe. Rather than pointing to some weird origin for the biblical account of Noah and the Flood, the legends help corroborate the biblical account. After all, there really was a historical global flood, and people across the world (descendants of Noah and his sons) remember it. The book is beautiful, with fold-out pages, minibooks, artwork, and more. I love this whole series.
There are some really great books available on the biblical account of Noah’s Ark. These seven books are a great place to start!
Your kids will love this fun Noah’s Ark craft!
Bible Curriculum for Your Kids
Bible Road Trip™ CurriculumLearn More HereBible Road Trip™ Memory Verse CardsBuy HereBible Road Trip™ Notebooking JournalsBuy Here
Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible
Looking for a family discipleship book that will give you a crash course in leading your kids through God’s Word? I’ve got you covered.
You want your kids to learn and love the Bible.
You want to teach the Bible…
As parents, we deeply desire the best for our kids. We look for the right schools, we make them eat right and exercise, and we get them involved in extracurricular activities. We take our job as parents seriously.
But are we also putting our time and energy into
teaching them the Bible? Giving them the life-changing, soul-nourishing words of Scripture is not only doable, it’s an essential part of parenting kids for Jesus. And the good news is, studying God’s Word as a family doesn’t have to be difficult!
2 Timothy 2:15, ESV, says:
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,
a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Our job, as parents who love Jesus, is to help our kids become approved workers, unashamed and rightly handling the word of truth.
The good news? Teaching the Bible isn’t hard. Your family can learn the Bible together.
…and you can!
A Crash Course in Teaching the Bible to Your Kids
Danika Cooley’s book, Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible, will give you the tools and confidence to study the Bible as a family. It will help you identify and overcome your objections and fears, give you a crash course in what the Bible is all about and how to teach it, and provide the guidance you need to set up a family Bible study habit.
You will finish this book feeling encouraged and empowered to initiate and strengthen your child’s relationship with the Lord through His Word.
Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible will equip you with everything you need to know to teach the Bible to your kids!
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