Christian publisher announces dyslexia-friendly Bible for kids

Scripture is full of miraculous transformations: the blind see, the lame walk, the sick are healed.

Now, a prominent Christian publisher wants to help transform how children with dyslexia read those stories.

Lifeway’s CSB Grace Bible for Kids is designed to make it easier for people with dyslexia, which afflicts as many as 1 in 5, to read.

The new Bible uses a contemporary English translation – Christian Standard Bible (CSB) – color overlays, and a newly-developed dyslexia-friendly font. 

“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 Ben Mandrell, president of Lifeway. “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.” 

Lifeway is also publishing an adult version with the same readability features.  

The special, dyslexia-friendly font, called “Grace,” was developed by typographic design company 2K/DENMARK and the University of Cambridge. 

The font helps readers differentiate between similar letters, such as “m” and “n” or “p” and “q,” and adds spaces between letters and lines to maximize readability. 

The font also makes letters thicker on the bottom to keep letters visually aligned.  

“If you are dyslexic, sometimes you see letters as bouncing balloons because they don’t stay on the baseline,” explained 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.” 

The Grace Bible also comes with 10 color overlays. 

Research suggests color overlays ease reading by reducing the visual stress created by the high contrast of black and white.   

“Colored overlays reduce the amount of contrast on the page, making it less stressful for the brain to look at,” writes the Irlen Institute. “By reducing over-activity in the brain, colored overlays can reduce or eliminate visual distortions like moving or blurry print and improve comfort, reading speed, comprehension, and ability for sustained attention. 

“Colors are simply light traveling at different speeds. When you change the color of the page, you change the speed at which that visual information travels to the brain. Colored overlays help synchronize the visual signals being sent to the brain, so the brain can process those signals properly.” 

For its designers, the Grace Bible is all about changing lives. 

“I hope and pray this will help someone connect with the content of the Bible,” said Krogh. “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.” 

“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,” Mandrell concluded. “We are so encouraged by the excitement and traction around the Grace Bible for Kids.”