Title: Clouds of War
Author: Elsie Singmaster
Series: The Great Book, book 2
Major Themes: Ephrata Cloister, Martyrs Mirror, Pennsylvania, Lancaster County, Picture Books, American Revolution
Synopsis: This gorgeous picture book tells the story of the Ephrata Cloister and their Martyr Book during the American Revolution.
We have been reading a lot of books, over the past six or eight months, about the American Revolution. We began our study by reading a couple of books written from an Anabaptist perspective, such as Loyalty Test and A Drop of Mercy, and now we’re wrapping up our study by reading a few more. Clouds of War tells part of the story of the Ephrata Cloister during the war.
Brother Peter was sound asleep on the board that served as his mattress when a messenger pounded on his door during the night. When he awoke, dressed, and went out, he learned that soldiers from the Continental Army were in the Cloister, in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. What did the soldiers want? Nothing else than the 500 copies still remaining of the Martyr Book which the Cloister had spent years translating and printing, nearly 30 years previously! The inhabitants of the Cloister did their best to persuade the soldiers to leave their precious Martyr Book alone, but the sergeant was immovable.
This beautiful, hardcover book describes a facet of the Revolution that is rarely, if ever, mentioned in history books. Clouds of War gives children a glimpse into the life of the Ephrata Cloister, a community of Seventh-Day Baptists in colonial Pennsylvania. It is profusely illustrated with gorgeous, very lifelike oil paintings. It is a treasure on our shelf, not only because of the content, which is invaluable to encourage our children to live Godly lives, but also because it is such a beautiful picture book.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9, 8 – 12
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