The Book of Psalms for Kids | Children’s Picture Books Your Kids Will Love

Looking for children’s picture books your kids will love on the psalms of the Bible? Don’t miss great choices on the book of Psalms for kids.

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The book of Psalms has long been a source of comfort and wisdom for followers of Jesus. The book is large, with 150 individual psalms divided into five different sections. We don’t know why, exactly, the compiler of the psalms divided them into five books, but we do know the book is a book of praises — which is what the name of the book means in the original Hebrew. To God be the glory!

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What is the book of Psalms about?

Our family is reading through Psalms together this year one last time before they graduate to adulthood, using Bible Road Trip™ Year Two: The Books of Poetry and Prophecy as our curriculum. I will miss my morning times with the boys, studying God’s Word, but I’m so glad we took the time to go through the Bible together a number of times while they were growing up.

So, what is the book of Psalms about? Well, it is about bringing glory to the King of the Universe. There are a number of types of psalms. Bible scholars don’t all agree on the various types, but for the most part, these are the types of psalms (excerpted from my introduction to week six of Bible Road Trip™ Year Two):

• Hymns are songs of praise or thanksgiving.
• Penitential psalms express repentance for sin and beg God for grace and forgiveness.
• Wisdom psalms share truths about God and his world, and about our relationship to the King–they are an expression of absolute biblical reality.
• Royal psalms are about the blood line of the coming Messiah.
• Messianic psalms prophesy the coming of the Messiah–but do not emphasize his blood line as royal psalms do.
• Imprecatory psalms are about God’s justice and wrath.
• Psalms of lament explore pain and injustice–and our trust in a good and holy God even in the midst of our pain.

The psalms are songs of praise to our holy God, and they teach us through their inspired wisdom. It’s important that our children become familiar with the book of Psalms and that they learn to understand the truths hidden within!

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Teaching the Bible to your kids doesn’t have to be hard.

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The Book of Psalms for Kids

These three books on the psalms are each wonderful, and each fulfill a different purpose. I appreciate that all three include ethnically diverse illustrations so that every child can feel represented. The three volumes together would make a wonderful gift for the children in your life!

Psalms for My Day: A Child’s Praise DevotionalWonderFull: Ancient Psalms Ever NewTiny Truths Wonder and Wisdom: Everyday Reminders from Psalms and Proverbs

• Psalms for My Day: A Child’s Praise Devotional ~ Bible scholar Alec Motyer used the original Hebrew to translate the Psalms into English in language and cadence that will make even those most familiar with the Psalms consider the meaning of each one for his book Psalms by the Day–a devotional for adults.Children’s author Carine Mackenzie uses this new and faithful translation to create a beautiful 31-day devotional for kids ages 6-11. (Christian Focus 4 Kids, 2019, 86 pages)Each two page spread is beautifully illustrated by Catherine Pape, and contains a one page selection of a psalm. The second page has a short 3-5 paragraph devotion discussing the psalm, what it means, who wrote it, and how it applies to our lives today. This devotion is followed by a short prayer.Your family will be blessed by this devotional reading of the psalms, which is perfect for breakfast or bedtime!
• WonderFull: Ancient Psalms Ever New ~ Pastor Marty Machowski has a fabulous way of making theological concepts fun and engaging for kids. His book The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New  is a must-have for every household. It covers systematic theology in a fun and understandable way.  (Read my review of The Ology here.)Marty Machowski’s WonderFull (New Growth Press, 2020, 208 pages) is another excellent volume exploring the psalms.With the story of young Oliver woven through the book, Machowski explores each of the 150 psalms. This is a journey you’ll want to take with your kids. Machowski recommends getting a journal and reading each psalm together. His explanations of each psalm are sometimes short, sometimes more in-depth. Your child will definitely come away from this meaty and beautiful picture book with a strong understanding of God’s inspired book of songs written to him and about him.Andy McGuire, who also illustrated The Ology, provides the gorgeous illustrations for this full-color volume.

• Wonder and Wisdom: Everyday Reminders from Psalms and Proverbs ~ Written for 4-8 year olds, Tiny Truths Wonder and Wisdom (Zonderkidz, 2020, 80 pages) is a really cute introduction to the books of Psalms and Proverbs.The book, written by Joanna Rivard, is organized topically. Children are introduced to an idea found in the books of wisdom, then there is a short verse or passage from Psalms or Proverbs. Each idea is covered in a two-page spread, which makes this long picture book perfect for devotional reading.Tim Penner’s illustrations are really cute and add to the interest for your child.

You’ll want to grab one of each of these beautiful books for your family’s library.

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Books about Psalms for You

I really love the ESV Illuminated Scripture journals. They are beautiful, with Scripture on one page and a journal page across, leaving plenty of room for notes–each covers a book of the Bible. I received the New Testament set for Christmas last year (yay!), but I started with this wonderful book of the Psalms. These journals make a great gift for teens as well.

ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal: PsalmsMr. Pen- Bible Pens, 10 Pack, Assorted Color Pens