Title: Godly Heroes of the Past
Author: Sharon M. See
Major Themes: Anabaptists, Persecution
Synopsis: The stories of many faithful Christians in the past are retold for young children.
When one of my sons chose Godly Heroes of the Past for me to read aloud, I read the first chapter or two and then decided it would be a good one to read from each morning as we start our day together. I like to read something inspiring and spiritual to begin the day, and this book was a good fit.
Each of the short chapters, which took only a minute or two to read aloud, tells the story of a Christian from the past. Most of these stories were adapted from The Martyr’s Mirror, although a few came from other sources. They are told in very simple language for young children, and the stories are carefully told so as not to upset them. Though a lot of the stories tell about people being put in prison for their faith, it never mentioned that they were killed, although I know from reading the stories in other places that many were killed.
Some of the stories are very well known, such as the one of Dirk running from the thief catcher. Others are lesser-known; one of my favorites is of the young Waldensian woman who hid the village’s one Bible when “ungodly men” were trying to find it to destroy it. The last few stories tell of men in the Bible—Paul, Peter, Stephen and John.
This is a very good book to use for devotions with young children. The stories will introduce them to people who loved God and lived for Him even though they were mistreated. There is a Bible verse with each chapter, too.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 3 – 4, 5 – 8
Reading Independently—Ages 5 – 6, 7 – 9
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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