BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) — Lifeway’s B&H Publishing Group partnered with 2K/DENMARK and Cambridge University to release the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) Grace Bible for Kids, a first-of-its-kind Bible for readers with dyslexia, available this fall.
According to the International Dyslexia Association, 15%-20% of the population has a language-based learning disability. Of the students with specific learning disabilities receiving special education services, 70%-80% have deficits in reading. The Grace Bible seeks to help enhance readability for kids who suffer from visual stress as they read.
“Kids who feel intimidated by reading can feel comfortable with this new typeface in a Bible that’s made specifically with them in mind,” said Lifeway President Ben Mandrell. “Dyslexia shouldn’t keep kids from reading the Bible. At its core, the CSB Grace Bible for Kids is meeting the need of helping young readers interact and connect with God in a personal way through His Word.”
The CSB Grace Bible for Kids is designed for kids ages 7-12, offering an inclusive reading approach with improved visual processing. The Bible integrates academically tested typeface and design principles developed by 2K/DENMARK and Cambridge University’s research department.
The layout and design adds space between letters, words, lines and paragraphs along with distinct letter forms to help with readability.
“If you are dyslexic, sometimes you see letters as bouncing balloons because they don’t stay on the baseline,” explains Klaus Krogh, founder of 2K/DENMARK. “In designing the Grace typeface, we made sure to fix the letters to the baseline by making them heavier towards the bottom.”
Krogh began developing the Grace typeface five years ago. Cambridge University heard about his work and asked if they could participate in developing and testing the typeface and design.
In addition to the added weight to the baseline of letters, the Grace typeface helps readers differentiate between pairs of similar letters like m and n or p and q. Readers will also notice special-colored page overlays that enhance visual processing and can reduce visual stress. A version of the Grace Bible for teens and adults will be available in February 2025.
“I am so looking forward to hearing the feedback. I hope and pray this will help someone connect with the content of the Bible,” Krogh said. “We know faith changes lives, and we’d like as many as possible to be given the chance to change their life by the message in the Bible.”
Like many of Lifeway’s Bibles, the CSB Grace Bible offers study tips and content tailored to kids that answer questions such as “how to read the Bible” or “how to have a quiet time.”
“These additional features are intended to increase biblical literacy skills among kids and establish a foundation of spiritual disciplines that will hopefully lead to both greater engagement with God’s Word and, by extension, greater intimacy with God,” said Andy McLean, publisher for Holman Bibles.
Mandrell agrees. “One of the most fulfilling aspects of our work at Lifeway is helping young readers engage Scripture and learn more about God through His Word,” he said. “We are so encouraged by the excitement and traction around the Grace Bible for Kids.”
According to those behind the CSB Grace Bible for Kids, part of what makes it so special is the readable, faithful-to-the-original text of the Christian Standard Bible. They point to the CSB’s optimal blend of accuracy and readability that makes it a trustworthy, easy-to-understand resource for kids to study and memorize today — and to live and share for a lifetime.
For more information about the Grace Bible, visit gracebibleforkids.com. For information about other resources for special needs ministry, visit Lifeway.com/specialneeds.
