Kingdom Files Series (Biblical Biographies for Kids) Review

Barbour Publishing sent us two of the books from their new Kingdom Files series of Biblical Biographies for kids. The books are intended for kids ages 8-12 and are fairly quick reads at less than 90 pages each

There are currently six books in the series:  Who is Jesus?, Who was Daniel?,  Who was David?,  Who was Esther?, Who was Jonah?,  and Who was Mary, Mother of Jesus?       Each book begins with a double page "Fact File" spread that gives some basic information about the book's main character (name, town, occupation, and a mini-timeline as well as other pertinent information. The bulk of the book (dubbed the "Action File") tells the story of the character, including text from the Bible and explanations and background information. This section reminds me a lot of a what you might hear in a sermon series, but on a kid's level, split into several chapters. Throughout the Action Files there are Clue Boxes with relevant questions or ideas to provoke a little deeper thinking about a certain aspect of the story. The last section in the Kingdom Files for each book is the "Power File" which breaks out 10 Power-Up ideas that help the reader connect and apply the Scripture to their daily lives. They each also include a memory verse to go with the application.

Fact File

In Who Was Jonah? there are 8 chapters: 

1. Run Away
2. Who's Responsible?
3. The Monster Fish
4. Praying Hard
5. On To Ninevah
6. The King's Response
7. Jonah's Anger
8. God's Gift

I really appreciate the way that the material is covered from a narrative point of view. As I mentioned before, it reminds me of a sermon series, but on a kid's level. To some degree I wish that the Power Files specifically coordinated with each chapter, and directly followed each one, as that would make it much easier to figure out exactly how to schedule reading this book out as a devotional or regular Bible reading, but there are 10 Power-Ups with corresponding memory verses to go with the 8 chapters, which makes it a little more confusing.

Power-Up page

I will mention that The Kingdom Files webpage includes some educator ideas for extending your study of each character, with projects in writing, arts and crafts, and more, so that's worth checking out. 

The chapters in Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus:

1. Great News!
2. O Holy Night
3. Wise Men Visit (I appreciate that they are Biblically correct in not giving a specific number of magi, and also speak about them visiting Jesus in a home, not the stable.) 
4. Jesus at the Temple
5. A Special Wedding
6. A Misunderstanding, the Cross, and Everything After (Also Biblically correct in mentioning that Jesus had family (brothers) beyond Mary and Joseph. Points like these are ones that rate highly when I'm perusing Children's Biblical literature. 

All in all, I am impressed with the quality of these biographies. My son enjoyed the way the books were written also, in a very conversational tone. 

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: Barbour Publishing
• Product: Kingdom Files series books Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus?
• Ages: 8-12
• Price: $4.99 each

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Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Homeschool Review Crew and see what others had to say. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

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C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller (Review)

Over the years, beginning with my Eldest and continuing down through my Youngest, we have enjoyed reading biographies, and have especially appreciated collecting books from YWAM Publishing's many series, including the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series, where we read about, well...Christian Heroes of the faith from the past and the present. This spring we were given a few options to choose from for review, and I was happy to see Christian Heroes- C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller, particularly as my Youngest and I are reading aloud the Chronicles of Narnia this year.

The book is set up in a similar fashion to others that we have read, covering the entire life of the person from early childhood to death. * Side Note: I realized that we haven't any of the "now" books in the collection when my Youngest commented that the only thing he didn't like about the series was that the books always end when the person dies... I hadn't thought of that before. Guess I'll have to pick up one of the others like Charles Mulli next time... ☺

Word to the wise, there are "spoilers" in the biography so you might not want to read it until AFTER you have finished reading the Chronicles. Unfortunately, I didn't preread, so I wasn't aware.

Alright then, on to the review.
My son thought it was interesting that C.S. Lewis was nicknamed "Jack" and that stuck with him for the rest of his life, because my father-in-law is named John, but also called "Jack," something I just don't understand. :) He particularly enjoyed reading about his life as he is very interested in the WWII time period, and hearing about regular life during those times. He did feel that the story overall wasn't quite as gripping as say, Milton Hershey's life story which we reviewed last summer. As a result, I would suggest that an older middle-schooler might actually get more out of this study than a later elementary student.

I will say that the Unit Study Guide available for this book is also on a slightly higher level, in part based on the topics covered including love and marriage and divorce, which aren't necessarily topics I would have brought up with the youngest ages this book is suggested for. However, as homeschoolers, we are able to tailor our schooling, and we don't have to ask ALL the questions, so it's all good ~ we can allow some details to go over their heads when appropriate.

A word or two about the contents of the Study Guide.
It includes an introduction for the instructor and then moves into the areas of study.

• Key Bible Verses ~ 4 verses that can be used for Memorization, Meaning (thinking about how they apply to C.S. Lewis' life) Devotional, or Display (which could tie into art)
• Display Corner ~ Suggestion that is more useful in a group setting, but some homes are suitable for this sort of motivating idea~ it's fun and adds to the memories if you can do it.
• Chapter Questions~ Each chapter has 6 questions: one Vocabulary, one Factual,  two Comprehension and two Open-ended. I do appreciate that the guide recommends tailoring the questions to your students level and ability, as mentioned above. I tend to do these orally anyway, so it all works out well for me.☺
• Student Explorations ~ These include suggestions like Essay Questions, Creative Writing Projects, Hands-On Projects, Audio Visual Projects, and Arts and Crafts Projects. 
• Community Links ~ Suggestions for activities out in the community that would connect with the book. For instance, because of the British background of C.S. Lewis' life, there is a suggestion to visit a Tea House for High Tea. Fun times, and if we weren't in the midst of Baseball Season and three teams, I'd consider it. ☺There are many other suggestions for ways to interact with people in the community that will add to the details in the book. 
• Social Studies ~ Includes Places, Terms/Vocabulary, Geographical Characteristics, including mapping locations~ this was one of the activities we chose to do, as well as Conceptual Questions (these move from simpler to more complex). 

• Related Themes ~ Gives suggestions of possible related themes in the topics of History, Current Events, Literature, Christianity, and even Travel Skills. 
• Culminating Event~ for families that like to celebrate the end of a Unit Study in a more formal manner, there are ideas for Food, Music, Presentations, Display, Clothing, and Cultural Activities
• Books and Resources ~ Offers a large list of extra resources about C.S. Lewis, other books, other books in the same series, and related articles and internet sites.
  
  I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there is also an answer key to the first four chapter questions in each chapter (Because the open-ended questions can't be quantified in an answer key).

All in all, we have been very happy with the various historical YWAM biographies, and enjoy adding them to our home library as we have time and funds.
Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: YWAM Publishing  
• Product: 
• Christian Heroes: Then & Now 
• Christian Heroes- C.S. Lewis
• Study Guide
• Ages: 10-Middle School, possibly even High School
• Price: List $9.99 at the time of publishing on sale for $7.50

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Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and their Blog

Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Homeschool Review Crew and see what others had to say. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

#hsreviews  #YWAMPublishing #ChristianHeroes #ChristianBiographies #Truebiographies #HeroesofHistory #HeroBiographies #TrueStories #ChristianHeroesThenandNow #Homeschoolcurriculum #Teachthemwell

What do you know about Hershey (Milton Hershey, that is)? More ThanChocolate!

My family always enjoys receiving new books to read, and some of us are especially fond of YWAM Publishing books. We have been purchasing books from their Christian Heroes: Then & Now series for years (possibly even a decade +!), and I always appreciate the opportunity to review their books as well. I was particularly excited to receive Heroes of History: Milton Hershey from the Heros of History series (currently 27 books published in this series!) for review.

We have been interested in Hershey, PA since 2006 when we first visited on our initial "Great American Road Trip." My (then) two kids and I were delighted with the "Sweet" lights and even a picturesque drugstore wall... we even were able to find that wall 10 years later for a photo op this past summer!

Our interest was piqued even more when my daughter and son briefly visited the Hershey School in 2014 when they were in PA on a youth group evangelism trip.

Now, my daughter is going to college not too far away, on the other side of Harrisburg, PA, and one of her soon-to-be classmates is a soon-to-be-graduate of the Hershey School. (You can click on this link to view a video on the Milton Hershey School's facebook page that features this student and others as the walk the elementary school halls in their caps and gowns~ inspiration! ).

OK, so on with the Review!
This was a perfect book for my 9 year old to read and enjoy (and pique *his* interest in Hershey as well), so I let him read it... after I finished. :) His big sister is next in line, and eventually his older brother will get a chance to check it out.

Although I knew about the Hershey School thanks to my older kids' visit, I really knew very little about Milton Hershey (in spite of going on the Hershey Factory tour with the singing cows both in 2006 and 2016). What an amazing rags to riches story this is... a story of perseverance, character, and ingenuity as well as generosity and love. Milton Hershey was a great man who amazingly enough held on to his humility in spite of his riches.

YWAM has developed study guides to go with the books in their series in both Downloadable and CD format. They have created documents with helps on how to use the study guides in various settings, including homeschooling, group, and classroom settings (I appreciate that they are making their materials accessible for a variety of learning environments!). Some of these resources included in the study guide are also available on their website on the bonus materials tab. You can check that page out for more information including word puzzles, coloring pages, samples, maps, chronologies of the books, and more. Definitely an informative page!

We received the downloadable study guide on Milton Hershey to check out for this review. The file downloads as a zip file, and opens as an html document in your browser.

Here is a screenshot of the Table of Contents to give you an idea of how the study guide is set up (Aren't the kisses cute? Just like the street lights in Hershey!) :

• The Key Quotes included are great for memorization or copy work.
• The Display Corner gives ideas for those who have space for it. For this particular study it includes fun things like Hershey Kisses as well as suggestions of books, pictures and other items that would coordinate with this particular story. 
• The Chapter Questions are comprehension questions~ pretty straight-forward there. 
• Student Explorations include suggestions for a variety of age groups: Essay/Research Topics, Creative Writing assignments, Hands-oh Projects, Audio/Visual Projects, and Arts and Crafts projects. 
• Community Links give suggestions for taking the study outside your home or classroom by going on a field trip, or bringing someone into your classroom/co-op group. 
• Social Studies includes Places, Journeys, Terms/Vocabulary, Geographical Characteristics of places Milton Hershey lived or visited, Timeline, and Conceptual Questions concerning the social history of Pennsylvania. 
• Related Themes to Explore includes charts with topic suggestions for History, Math, Science, Literature, and Business

The Books and Resources Appendix includes titles and descriptions for many books, movies, and articles (suitable for a variety of different ages) that may enhance your study of Milton Hershey if you so choose, as well as a number of websites that can be visited to add to the wealth of knowledge you and your children will be acquiring. 

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 
This was one of my bookworm boy's favorite books of late ~ he kept popping his head out to tell me some nugget he'd just learned about Milton Hershey and his life. I love that he is so invested in this biography, as Milton Hershey led a life of great character, with excellent values, and I don't mind if Youngest chooses to model that at all!

And who knew~ America's love affair with chocolate (Hershey Chocolate to be precise) has been the source of countless lives changed and given opportunities they otherwise would not have had~ but you need to read the book to get the whole story! So many things to learn, appreciate and enjoy about the man, Milton Hershey. His trials, triumphs, creativity, and genuine care for those around him make for an inspiring read for all ages!

• Company: YWAM Publishing
• Product: Heroes of History: Milton Hershey
• Ages: Publisher recommended age 10+ (Unusual for me, I would actually say 8+ is fine with this particular story. If you read my reviews often, you will know that I'm very conservative in my age recommendations. ;) 
• Price: List Price $9.99/ YWAM Price $7.50

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Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and their Blog

Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Homeschool Review Crew and see what others had to say about this book or any one of the others that were reviewed this time around. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

#hsreviews  #YWAMPublishing #ChristianHeroes #ChristianBiographies #Truebiographies #HeroesofHistory #HeroBiographies #TrueStories #ChristianHeroesThenandNow #Homeschoolcurriculum #Teachthemwell

YWAM Heroes of the Faith Book and Unit Study Guide (Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose)

We have been fans of YWAM Publishing's Christian Heroes: Then and Now series and Heroes of History series for a number of years. I pick up a new title at almost every homeschool convention I attend, because my daughter, in particular, enjoys these titles. I was extremely pleased when I was offered the opportunity to review a book we didn't own, as well as the Unit Study Guide that goes with it, as I had never used one of their study guides before. Our choice was Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose and the Jim Elliot: Unit Study Curriculum Guide.

We received the ebook version of the story, as well as an ebook version of the study guide, but my understanding is that the study guides are available variously as paperbacks and CD guides.

"Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose" is 235 pages filled with the exciting and riveting account of Jim Elliot's life, mission and death (Which made world news in 1956). Although my daughter was slightly familiar with the story (Perhaps more of the Elisabeth Elliot and Nate Saint perspectives?), when she got to the climax of the story she was shocked (She had been so "into" the story that her words were "They were surprised... *I* was surprised... We were *ALL* surprised!").
The story of Jim Elliot is one of great purpose and dedication. Now that she has read his story, my daughter wants to go back and re-read Elisabeth Elliot's story, as well as Nate Saint's (which she knew not from literature, but as a background to a song by Steven Curtis Chapman). The Jim Elliot story has tied together a bunch of stories that she didn't realize were related, and really one larger story. ;)

Study Guide: The Unit Study Curriculum Guide is 43 pages long, and covers:

• Introduction ~ helpful organizational information for the classroom or homeschool teacher. It is useful to note here that this guide is written to both group and individual teachers, so not everything will be applicable.
• Bible Memorization ~ 4 verses that can be used for memorization, discussion and/or devotional/display.
• Display ideas ~ This is good for those families who have space and enjoy creating themed displays, with suggestions of items to include that relate to Ecuador, the Amazon, and Wycliffe Translators.
• Chapter Questions ~ there are 4 questions for each chapter: a vocabulary question, a factual question, a comprehension question, and a discussion question. These would be great for the elementary/middle school student, and the discussion questions could be very easily used as writing prompts.
• Student Explorations ~ these include a number of opportunities for the reader to get more involved in the story~
  Essays, Creative Writing, Hands-on Projects, Audio Visual Projects, Arts and Crafts, and some Language examples. Because my daughter is a high school student, I didn't require her to do as much with these as I would for my boys, who would be more interested in some of the hands-on projects. She created a basic timeline on my ipad, which helped her to remember key personal as well as world history dates during Jim's life.
  
  Some of the Audio Visual and Creative Writing suggestions could be very interesting and engaging if you have a student who is geared in that direction!
• Community Links ~ I felt this section was more geared towards a classroom setting with field trip and "Invited speaker" suggestions.
• Social Studies ~ This section has a large variety of geographical jumping off points~ including mapwork, familiarity with the setting, geographical vocabulary, and questions that relate to the cultural, geographical and political details of the setting. There are maps included for a lot of this work.
• Related Themes ~ offers some suggestions for planning purposes~ to help round out the unit study potential, there are suggestions for other related topics that could be pursued following or concurrently with this study.
• Culminating Event Ideas ~ Suggestions on a spectacular wrap-up for the unit, not limited to food ideas, as well as activity/presentation ideas. I know that there are many families who have the occasion to create and present a fantastic event with their children. My children are bears when it comes to presenting *anything* so I didn't push on this section either. ;) 

There are an additional 10 pages of resources (Books, documentaries, internet sites, and articles) and an appendix with answers to the chapter questions.

I will say that I find the e-version of the curriculum guide to be a little more difficult to navigate, and work from. I would like the ability to highlight and flip back and forth between pages. If you are like me that way, you might prefer to choose a guide that comes in the paperback printed version, *or* print pages from the CD version. :)

The YWAM books are written on a very readable level, and this was no exception. Because of the content and outcome of the story, and because I *do* have children who are "sensitive" when they are on the younger side of things, I actually only had my 16 yo read this one. I think my 13 yo could handle it, but am saving it for just a little later for him. I couldn't use it as a read-aloud because it would have been too much for my 6 yo. As with all reading material, use your own discretion.

There are certainly biographies in this series as well as the history series that are appropriate for even the most sensitive reader/listener, so check them out!

Finally, I want to mention that there are some bonus materials for all of the Heroes books available on the website that include samples, coloring pages, maps, crossword puzzles and word puzzles, so you can get a  taste of what they are all about for yourself.

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: YWAM Publishing 
• Product: Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose (Book) Jim Elliot: Unit Study Curriculum Guide
• Ages: 10-100
• Price: Book $6.99 (YWAM price) ebook ($6.99) Unit study $7.49 (YWAM price)

Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Review Crew and see what others had to say. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~