Emma Petersen has chosen 116 stories to include in her book that follow the main thread of prophets through the Bible. The stories are generally short, two to three pages average, and they are meant to be read separately, as "bedtime [stories] for little children." They are meant to be read in order, however, as Petersen ocassionally relies on the context given in one story to provide background for the next story.

Petersen's stories make the Bible come to life in an easy-to-read manner. She has simplified the stories, made connections between events and people clearer, and in consideration of her intended young audience, has tastefully removed most of the graphic details that make the Bible one of the more violent and pornographic books in some home libraries.

Petersen occasionally editorializes the stories, making clear the lessons that should be learned from the stories. These lessons can be presented at the beginning of the story, in the opening paragraph as a theme statement, at the end as a summary, or occasionally right in the middle of things. Sometimes these statements clarify and define the story, and sometimes they are annoyingly didactic and preachy.

Petersen's purpose, as stated in the Foreword, is to "have our Church viewpoint [on bible stories] presented to [the children of the church] as clearly and early as possible." Petersen intends this book to be read by an LDS audience, as she references Joseph Smith, the Articles of Faith, and the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price as sources of information for some of the stories.

The LDS viewpoint is presented as early as the first story, "Where Did the Earth Come From?" Petersen writes, "On one of those stars, God lives. . . . From his home in the heavens our Father takes care of all the other stars and all the other earths, like this one on which we live." She also speaks of Lehi as a contemporary of Jeremiah in the story "The Captivity of Judah" and speaks of Lehi and Mulek leading groups of people to America. Petersen also, on occasion, adds her own interpretations to the stories, as she did in "The Fall of Adam and Eve." Here she states that "Adam knew that if he also ate the fruit, he and Eve would not instantly die. They would only become mortal and would live many years before death came upon them." Fortunately, Petersen usually sticks to the information found in the scriptures. The occasional personal interpretations are the exception and not the rule.

Bible Stories for Young Latter-day Saints is one of the better choices of scripture for youth available. Most books of scripture for children are comic books, or stories that over-simplify the scriptures, and thus lose the meaning the scriptures convey. These stories, although simplified, keep the flavor of the scriptures intact.

Nellie Brown