Contact: Melody Bentley, 571-274-6058

WARRENTON, Mo., Feb. 1, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- This year marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Wonder Book, a publication of Child Evangelism Fellowship, the largest Christian ministry to children in the world. This small 64-page book, initially written for a modest outreach to explain the Christian faith to Arab children, has since been translated into over 100 languages with millions of copies distributed the world over.

The impetus for this book came through a request from Campus Crusade for Christ to CEF for a book to give eight to 12-year-old Arab children waiting at Mediterranean ports in Europe to return to North Africa. To meet the urgent request, Dr. Martha Wright, then vice president of education at CEF, and Ms. Lynda Pongracz, then leadership training instructor, sequestered themselves at Dr. Wright's home and wrote this engaging and well-illustrated book in three days. It begins with the creation story and methodically makes the case for the necessity of Jesus Christ's work on the cross. The book takes its title from its format which explains the Christian faith through a serious of thoughtful questions, such as, "Have You Ever Wondered Who the One True God Really Is? Have You Ever Wondered How the World Began? Have You Ever Wondered Why There Is So Much Trouble in the World?"

While writing this book, Dr. Wright and Ms. Pongracz were sensitive to their future Muslim readers. There are no illustrations of Jesus' face. They did not portray the cross or use the term "Christian" because many Muslims associate them with the Crusades. Instead of "Christian," they used such phrases as "those who have trusted Jesus" or "members of God’s family." After receiving approval from an Arab consultant for its cultural content, the book was translated into Arabic and French. CEF printed 400,000 copies, and in 1998, Campus Crusade began distributing them to children at Mediterranean ports. Not only were children converted by this book, Campus Crusade received testimonies of parents reading the book and coming to faith in Christ.

Since then, CEF has fulfilled requests to translate the book into 106 languages but the exact number of translations circulating around the world is unknown. According to Ms. Pongracz, who became the executive director for education at CEF in 2010, "Every so often we learn of another language into which someone somewhere in the world has translated, printed and distributed the Wonder Book."

The original copy of the Wonder Book has an illustration of Adam and Eve of the cover, but since its initial printing, the book has sported numerous covers tailored to the intended recipients. Sometimes the cover reflects the foreign culture where it will be distributed. For distribution at sporting events, the appropriate sport will be featured on the cover. For the Olympics in 2004, an illustration of the hurdle event decorated the cover, and for the World Cup in 2006, a soccer ball. "Once we even had an illustration of a motorcycle and rider on copies intended for a ministry to bikers," said Ms. Pongracz.

The response to the Wonder Book is generally positive, often in unexpected places. New York City where CEF has distributed well over 100,000 of the books, has proven surprisingly fertile ground. Summer day camps asked for the book by the hundreds. Teams of college students hand thousands out in the city parks. The book seems to have taken on a quiet notoriety. Rev. Michael Velardo, the former CEF director in New York City, offered this illustration: One day in the Bronx a school bus driver saw a group distributing the Wonder Book on the street. The driver stopped the bus in the middle of the road, opened the bus door and shouted out, "I need 16 of those books for the kids on this bus!"

The most impressive mass distributions of the Wonder Book have occurred abroad. Around the time of the Athens Olympics in 2004, over 300,000 books were distributed throughout 19 European countries. The same feat was repeated at the time of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. In Russia, in 2007, over one million books were distributed through local churches whose members went door to door handing them out. Still more extraordinary was the breath of the distribution of the Wonder Book in Ireland. CEF had received a million dollar donation for the purpose of giving a copy of the book to every child in Ireland. In 2003, CEF began a mass mailing of 2.4 million copies which were delivered to every household in the country over an 18-month period.

At present, the Wonder Book is pushing passed barriers that were unheard of even a few years ago. According to Mr. Bogdan Bassara, international literature director for CEF, 80,000 copies of the book are being printed in three Muslim countries that cannot be named in order to protect those involved.

Looking back on the history of the Wonder Book, Ms. Pongracz reflected, "We never thought it would go beyond the initial printing. We had limited vision but God has chosen to use this book around the world."

To obtain a copy of the Wonder Book, visit cefpress.com or call 1-800-748-7710.