Understandable Scriptures for children of the South Pacific

Learning About series. Photo: BS South Pacific (SPA06DJ-1.JPG)

SOUTH PACIFIC — “This project is a new departure in publishing for the South Pacific region,” says the Bible Society in the South Pacific. It is referring to an initiative that aims to bring a rare commodity to the region’s children: the Scriptures in words that they can understand and with full-colour illustrations.

With 16 scattered island nations to serve, the Bible Society inevitably faces significant challenges in supplying Bibles and biblical materials to people who wish to receive them. It is particularly concerned about the impact of this situation on children, the region’s future leaders. It has supplied Bible comics in a few local languages over recent years, but now the Kingdom Kidz project will bring the first significant Bible-based children’s literature to most of the countries it will target.

It is collaboration with two major publishing houses that is allowing the Bible Society to launch this ambitious three-year project. Scandinavia Publishing House of Denmark will print translations of My First Handy Bible in Fijian, Bislama, Tongan and Tahitian. Lion Publishing House of the UK is shortly to print the Learning About series of four books in Fijian, Samoan, Fiji Hindi, Bislama and Tongan, and there are also plans to produce the Lion Children’s Bible in Fijian and Tongan and the Lion Graphic Bible in Fijian and Bislama.

“Pacific children rarely have access to biblical literature produced specifically for their age group or languages, let alone to full-colour illustrated literature,” says the Bible Society. “The expected impact and benefits to their young lives, their communities and their region will therefore be immeasurable. As future leaders, it is imperative that the children of our region be granted this opportunity to receive resources to build their educational, social and spiritual lives.”