Free Books of the Bible Coloring Pages

Books of the Bible coloring pages — one page per book, the whole canon

The Bible isn't one book — it's a library of 66 books (or 73, with the Deuterocanonical books in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles). Memorizing the books in order, understanding what each contains, and learning to navigate the canon are foundational skills in Christian education. Most Sunday school curricula spend weeks on this; most homeschool Bible programs cover it as a separate unit.

This books of the Bible section provides one coloring page per book — a visual summary that doubles as a memorization aid and a reference card. The full 66-book Protestant canon, plus a separate Catholic Deuterocanonical bundle for the 7 additional books recognized by Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

How the bundle is organized

The books of the Bible bundle follows the standard canonical order used in Protestant Bibles (NIV, ESV, KJV, NLT) — the same order memorized in every Sunday school Bible drill program for the past century.

Old Testament — 39 books

• The Pentateuch (5 books): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
• History (12 books): Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
• Wisdom and Poetry (5 books): Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
• Major Prophets (5 books): Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
• Minor Prophets (12 books): Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

New Testament — 27 books

• The Gospels (4 books): Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
• History (1 book): Acts
• Pauline Epistles (13 books): Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
• General Epistles (8 books): Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
• Prophecy (1 book): Revelation

Catholic Deuterocanonical books (7 books)

• Tobit
• Judith
• 1 Maccabees
• 2 Maccabees
• Wisdom
• Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
• Baruch

Plus additional sections in Esther and Daniel. These are included in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Coptic Bibles, though not in most Protestant Bibles. Our Catholic books bundle covers these separately.

What each book page contains

Each book of the Bible page is structured the same way:

1. Book title (large, centered, decorative typography)

The name of the book in 36-point hand-lettered style — designed to be recognizable from across a Sunday school room.

2. Iconic visual symbol for the book

A central image that represents the book's key theme:

• Genesis — the tree in the garden, with the sun behind
• Exodus — Moses with the staff parting the sea
• Psalms — a harp (David's instrument)
• Proverbs — a scroll with the "two paths"
• Isaiah — a child with a lamb (Isaiah 11)
• Daniel — the lion peaceful in the den
• Matthew — a man with a crown (Matthew presents Jesus as King)
• Mark — a winged lion (the traditional iconographic symbol)
• Luke — a winged ox (the traditional iconographic symbol)
• John — a winged eagle (the traditional iconographic symbol)
• Acts — a ship sailing (Paul's journeys)
• Romans — an open scroll with the cross
• Revelation — the Lamb on the throne

These four-fold symbols for the gospels (man, lion, ox, eagle) come from the four living creatures in Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4, and have been used in Christian iconography for nearly 1700 years (since Irenaeus, 2nd century).

3. Author and date

Small text at the bottom: traditional author, approximate date, number of chapters. Example: "Genesis — Traditionally attributed to Moses — c. 1450 BC — 50 chapters."

4. One-sentence summary

The book's purpose in a single sentence a Sunday school child can understand. Example: "Genesis tells how God created the world and chose a family to bless all nations."

5. Key verse

One representative verse from the book that captures its central theme. Example: "Genesis 12:3 — 'I will bless those who bless you, and through you all peoples on earth will be blessed.'"

Memorization workflow — the books in order

The classic Sunday school exercise of memorizing the books of the Bible in order can be taught with our bundle:

Week 1 — The Pentateuch

Five pages, one for each book. Sing the books to a memorable tune (the "Books of the Bible Song" — most curricula use a version of this). Quiz the kids at the end of the week.

Week 2 — History (Joshua through Esther)

Twelve pages. The historical narrative of Israel from Joshua's conquest through the post-exile rebuilding.

Week 3 — Wisdom and Poetry

Five pages, with Psalms getting a special expanded treatment.

Week 4 — The Prophets (Major and Minor)

17 pages. This is the heaviest week; we recommend pairing it with the chronological-prophets activity (which prophet preached during which king's reign).

Week 5 — The Gospels and Acts

Five pages. The transition into the New Testament.

Week 6 — The Pauline Epistles

13 pages. Pauline letters in order of length (Romans, 1 Cor, 2 Cor...) — which is how they appear in the canon, not chronologically.

Week 7 — General Epistles and Revelation

Nine pages. Closing the canon.

This seven-week sequence works as a summer Sunday school series, a Vacation Bible School "Bible overview" week, or a homeschool unit study. By the end, students have all 66 books visually represented in a portfolio.

What kids learn from book-by-book pages

The point of teaching the books of the Bible isn't trivia — it's biblical literacy. Specifically:

1. The shape of the canon

Kids learn that the Bible has a structure: creation → covenant → kingdom → exile → Messiah → church → consummation. Each section of the canon plays a role in this narrative arc.

2. The genre of each book

A Psalm is not a history book. Proverbs is not the Gospel of John. Understanding that the Bible contains multiple genres (history, poetry, prophecy, gospel, epistle, apocalyptic) is a foundational reading skill.

3. Navigation

Knowing whether Habakkuk comes before or after Zephaniah (it doesn't matter except for finding it quickly), being able to flip to Ephesians without using the table of contents — these are practical skills for a lifetime of Bible reading.

4. The Old Testament / New Testament relationship

The Old Testament prepares for the New; the New fulfills the Old. Understanding the canonical structure helps students grasp this relationship visually.

Catholic vs Protestant canon — what's different

For Catholic and Orthodox families, the canon is broader than the standard Protestant 66 books. Our Catholic books bundle covers the seven Deuterocanonical books that appear in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles:

What Catholics call them

• Deuterocanon (Latin: "second canon") — the Catholic term. These books are inspired and canonical, written between the Old and New Testaments.

What Protestants call them

• Apocrypha (Greek: "hidden") — the Protestant term. These books are valued historically but not considered inspired Scripture in most Protestant traditions.

Books in question

• Tobit, Judith, 1-2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch
• Plus additions to Esther and Daniel

This is the single largest canonical difference between Catholic and Protestant Bibles. Our editorial approach: we publish both bundles separately, with clear labels, and we don't take a denominational position on canonicity. Catholic families use the Catholic bundle; Protestant families use the standard 66-book bundle; both are biblically accurate within their respective traditions.

Reading-through-the-Bible workflow

For families or small groups reading through the whole Bible in a year (the popular "One Year Bible" or "M'Cheyne reading plan" formats), our books bundle serves as a tracking and reference tool:

• Print all 66 pages at the start of the year
• Tape them in order to a bulletin board or assemble into a binder
• Color each book as you finish reading it — the color-completion becomes the visible progress marker
• By December 31, the full canon is colored — a visual record of the year's reading

We've heard from multiple families that this physical, visual tracking dramatically increases follow-through on annual Bible reading plans compared to digital trackers. The kids' version of this is the kids' Bible reading challenge we publish — same concept, with simpler line art and shorter daily passages.

Editorial standards for book-by-book content

Standard editorial policy applies. Three book-specific additions:

• Authorship attribution. We use traditional authorship attributions (Moses for the Pentateuch, David for most Psalms, Solomon for Proverbs) while noting in adult materials that modern scholarship sometimes contests these. For Sunday school and kids' content, traditional attribution is used without complication.
• Dating. Approximate dates are provided in BC/AD format (with AD/CE noted as equivalent). We don't take a position on disputed early-vs-late dating of Old Testament books.
• Symbol consistency. The iconographic symbols for each book (winged man for Matthew, lion for Mark, etc.) follow the 1700-year Christian tradition. We don't invent new symbols for established books.

What's coming next

Publishing priorities for the books of the Bible series over the next 90 days:

• Expanded Psalms set — currently 30 of 150 Psalms have dedicated pages; all 150 coming
• Pauline epistles deep-dive series — one chapter per page for Romans, Galatians, Ephesians
• The minor prophets historical context — companion pages showing which king and which kingdom each prophet preached to
• Catholic Deuterocanonical full bundle — currently outline only, full pages coming
• Eastern Orthodox additional books — 3 Maccabees, Psalm 151, the Prayer of Manasseh

If you teach a books-of-the-Bible unit and want specific support, email us.

— Sarah Mitchell, Christian Education Editor