Customer Reviews

The Church History ABCs: Augustine and 25 Other Heroes of the Faith

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"E is for eggs, elephants, and Jonathan Edwards." How did I miss that when I learned the alphabet? Alas, public education. But now, thanks to the Church History ABC's, a new book by Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard, the breakdown has been corrected.

From Augustine to Zwingli, Nichols and Bustard give children a new way to learn the alphabet, while teaching church history along the way. Each page features a different historical character. The sketches are written in first person, giving the book a more personal tone, and include the most important (or most interesting) details of the subject's life in a fun way: "Hi. Let's get one thing straight, my name is Hippolytus, not hippopotamus."

Though the book is intended to be a church history primer, it also teaches a few life lessons for the more pragmatic. For instance, after Martin Luther mentions his hammering "a piece of paper to the church door at Wittenburg," he gives the following advice: "Now don't try that at your church. People don't like that."

Ned Bustard's artwork, a collage of illustrations and photos, will hold the children's interest while making mom and dad laugh. John Wesley, for instance, wears a button that says, "Almost Perfect," and Charles Spurgeon stands on a cigar box to deliver his sermon. Lest we miss the significance of the details, there is additional information about each character for parents in the back of the book. We are told there that the Wesley brothers "both believed in perfectionism, or as they put it, `love perfected,'" and so the button makes sense.

The book is intended for children ages 3 to 6. I happen to have a three year old and a six year old. Other than being interested in the pictures, the younger lost interest, as the information is still too advanced for her. The older, however, seemed very interested and asked a lot of questions, which, of course, is the goal. I suspect that children much older than six would enjoy and benefit from this book; I know that I did. We will use this book often, as it is full of important information that is presented in an enjoyable way, and I am happy to recommend it. Thanks to the authors for applying their knowledge and talent to the important task of teaching children.

I received a review copy of this book from Crossway.

Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard have published a new book called The Church History ABCs: Augustine and twenty-five other heroes of the Faith. Here is their website for the book: [...] The book begins with a short introduction and then a brief page on each of twenty-five people who lived as early as 110 A.D. and died as late as 1940. (There is a gap between St. Patrick, who died in 461 and Martin Luther who was born in 1483.) Each letter identifies a person important to church history such as Spurgeon, Martin Luther, or Anne Bradstreet. I was glad that several women were included. At the end of the book, there is a long paragraph about each person that gives more description about who each person was and why they are significant--how they glorified God in their lives. There is also a timeline list of the 25 people. I wish there was also a visual timeline with a few historical events identified to help place these people in history (I'm going to email them and ask if they might think about posting one on their website =)). On the website, there are several coloring pages and activity pages to go with the book. I like the illustrations and the writing.

One question I asked myself was how could I help my kids relate to this book? How could this book be useful to me and my kids? I homeschool and my girls will be in 2nd grade and kindergarten. This year I have decided to start reading through A Child's History of the World by Virgil Hillyer. This book was recommended to me by several people. They read the book withe their children and then had them draw pictures about what they have listened to. One downside to using this book is that it doesn't address history from a Christian perspective or include much of the history of the Christian church. My plan is to read each of the ABCs in chronological order as we get to that period in history in the book. It will help bring in the history of the church for my kids as we learn about the past. One reason I've chosen to teach history this way is that I realized I have been trying to cover too much in our homeschooling and I am trying to simplify. I also have the ValueTales books and I am also going to integrate them into our reading in the same way I'm going to use this church history book.

If I weren't homeschooling, how would I use this book? When would I read it? It would be a good reference book if my kids asked me questions about who these people were. It might spur on discussions about history and the things that happened in the early Christian church.

Honestly, I don't know of any other books on church history, so this is a unique book for children in grades K-5. I would love more--more content, more description. I'd love more of a timeline about history and the part that these people played in it. In short, I'd love a great history book of church history for children. But, this is a good place to start. I did give this book 4 stars, but I would give it 4 1/2 stars. The extras on the website are nice and they really compliment the book. The only reason I've not given it 5 stars is that I just wish there was a broad visual timeline of events in history corresponding to when these people lived to help parents and children put the lives of these people more in the context of history.

You can view a sample and excerpt of the book at this website:
[...]

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book from Crossway Books for review.

My dad bought this for my younger siblings, and when he got it, he realized it wasn't really what he'd been hoping. I personally found it too silly. I have no problem with humor, but I think that taking these people (most of whom were serious and godly)and having them 'tell their story' in a silly way detracts greatly from the seriousness of who they were and what they did. For example, here is an example from the page on John Calvin:
"I left France for Switzerland - but I never learned to yodel."
Here's an example from the one on John Foxe:
"The book's title is really long, so folks just call it Foxe's Book of Martyr's. These were brave people who went through many cruel and scary punishments."
I don't think it's wrong to make a fun book for children to learn history, but this is just too lighthearted about things that were very serious. Many of these reformers risked their lives for the truth; Ignatius was put to death in the Roman arena; Jonathan Edwards preached 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God'. These aren't things to make light of, and children aren't too young to be taught about these things seriously and thoughtfully.
Another problem I have with this book is some of the people included in it that I thought should not have been in it: Absolom Jones; Antonio Vivaldi; and the Wesleys.
Absolom Jones was not some figure in church history. He was a black man that started a church. That's great, but I don't think it deserves a page in the book.
Antonio Vivaldi was a Catholic priest, so it's silly to put him in among the reformers, who were against the Roman Catholic Church.
The Wesleys (particularly John Wesley) were Arminians. John Wesley basically turned George Whitefield's church against him by preaching Arminianism while Whitefield was away.
Maybe someone someday will write a book on this same premise but handle it in a more thoughtful way. I can't reccomend this book to anyone, really...

The study of Church history is an incredibly rewarding--and daunting--experience. In the 2000 years since Christ founded His Church, we've seen slave-traders dramatically converted into hymn writers, men give up their lives so that people can read the Bible in their own language, church fathers martyred for defending the faith, a reformation that transformed the world and countless other events. If there's one thing Church history is not, it's dull.

So how on earth do you begin to introduce kids to the riches of Church history? How about alphabetically?

In The Church History ABCs, author Stephen J. Nichols and illustrator Ned Bustard, introduce children to 26 heroes of the faith from Augustine to Zwingli. Nichols keeps his text lively and concise, avoiding getting bogged down in too many details about the people to whom he is introducing readers. I particularly enjoyed his write-up of Ulrich Zwingli:

I always come last because my name starts with "Z." Zurich starts with a "Z" too. Go used me to teach the people of the city of Zurich about Jesus. From Zurich, the Reformation spread to other cities in Switzerland (there's a "Z" in that word, too). I preached many sermons. One of them had a funny title, "On the Choice and Freedom of Foods." . . . The Reformation came to Zurich. I wanted everyone to know that we should follow God's Word and do what it says. The Bible tells us everything we need to know from A to Z.

Bustard's clean illustration style is a lot of fun and very expressive. I'm impressed at his ability to communicate so much personality in such "simple" drawings (my wife is an illustrator, so I know how difficult a task this can be). It's a style that serves the content and the audience well.

From a parent's perspective, The Church History ABCs is a lot of fun--the basic premise is intriguing enough to make you want to pick it up and take a look, the content is strong enough to give a firm foundation in the bigger picture of Church history, and it's a neat handy tool for teaching your kids the alphabet. Get a copy for your kids today.

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A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review purposes by the publisher

Children's books on church history are rare, good ones even rarer and ones that can appeal to all ages rarer still. The Church History ABCs by Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard is a children's book that certainly falls into the latter category. You would think that a book about church history would be geared towards older children and a book about ABCs would be to kindergarten-age children. How then does Nichols and Bustard manage to quite successfully marry the two concepts?

Each letter of the alphabet features a prominent figure from the history of the church. There are the more well-known ones such as Calvin, Edwards and Spurgeon. But there are also some not-so-well-known people like John Donne, Hippolytus ("Let's get one thing straight, my name is Hippolytus, not hippopotamus"), Tertullian, Vivaldi and Florence Young. Each person is accompanied by a brief informational snippet about that particular person, written from his or her perspective.

The beauty of each letter/person is that every piece of information can stand on its own depending on the age of the children. For instance: "'A' is for apricot, apple and Augustine - Africa's ancient bishop." That alone is enough to teach a younger student to associate a letter with a name as well as other common items such as an apple. For the student that is a little older, the biographical information can be included. For the more curious/able student desiring to know more, there is still further information about each person at the end of the book.

The real fun part, however, is in the illustrations and can probably be turned into a game of sorts. Hidden in each illustration are clues about that person that will be answered either in the brief biographical sketch on the same page or in the fuller paragraphs at the end of the book. For example, "A" is for apricot and apple, but why is there a pear on Augustine's page? What's up with the heart John Calvin is holding? Why on earth is Jonathan Edwards wearing an Indian headdress and eating chocolate? Why is Spurgeon holding a sword and a trowel? The subtleties in each illustration make discovering more "secrets" about that person all the more interesting. (And don't think we didn't notice the cigars in Spurgeon's pocket!)

This is an excellent resource for children of all ages to learn about great people God has used down through church history. I'd give this book 6 out of 5 stars if I could.

(Thanks to Crossway's Homeschool Book Review Program for the opportunity to read and review this book.)

The Church History ABC's is a wonderful resource to accompany an ABC's curriculum (and there are several free ones out there!). It's really a great resource to accompany any home library.

It has just the right amount of information to wet a child's appetite for history. Being geared for kids [roughly] 4-8 years of age, it has the potential to offer plenty of fun information for a 4 year old, while allowing for further study for an 8 year old. In addition to having some extra facts in the back of the book, it's a great opportunity for making a library visit to check out each person individually.

I appreciate the extra words they include for each letter to help a child understand each letter has a sound and the hero (or heroine) mentioned was not just coincidental. While I have sat down with my children (ages newborn - 8 years) and read a couple pages, I wanted to hold off and weave it in with our home school, which I'm so excited about!

Also, there is a nice website with further activities - [...]

Please visit Crossway and Crossway's Blog to see this title and other new titles!

*This book given to me courtesy of Crossway in exchange for this authentic review. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

I completely love this book. This book is as fun as it is educational. One thing I love about this book is how on each page while it talks about a person in church history it finds a way to tie it back to the true head of the church. I would highly recommend this book. This book, while being fun, is also filled with rich theology that is brought down to the level that young children could appreciate. i would venture to say that there is more substance in this book than most books marketed to adults. I am sorry if my review seems incoherent, i just have nothing but praise for this book

I received The Church History ABCs from Crossway in order to review. This juvenile book tells stories of people of church history in short, easy to read segments. Just as there are 26 letters of the alphabet, there are 26 "heroes of the Faith" introduced. We start with A for Augustine, "Africa's ancient bishop" and end with Z for Zwingli, "Zurich's Reformer". At the end of the book, there are four pages containing more details about each person.

Although this book is short enough to read all the way through in one sitting, I would recommend you pick a letter of the alphabet, go to that particular page, read the information there, then go look up more information about him or her on the internet or in your local library. This could easily be used as a starting point for a biographical report.

I personally don't care for the illustrations, but I can easily overlook these. Also, the type could be larger, especially the last four pages. In all, though, I like the book. It's educational and even I learned about several people I had never heard of.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

It's difficult to find good material on church history aimed at children, but The Church History ABCs: Augustine and 25 Other Heroes of the Faith by Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard is a unique, lively option.

I was pretty much completely clueless in this area until I was an adult, aside from knowing that Martin Luther had started a movement that resulted in a separation from the Catholic church. I didn't even know that St. Nicholas, St. Valentine and St. Patrick were real people and I'd never even heard of Ignatius or Augustine or John Calvin. My first exposure to any of this was when I began investigating resources to use with my own children when my oldest was born. I think being familiar with the history of the church and major figures in it's history is incredibly valuable for children. It's important for them to understand how we got where we are now and give them a sense of heritage. Not to mention the incredible examples some of the church fathers, missionaries and other figures set for us!

I've found some great biographies and historical books for older kids, but presenting this info for the younger set is much more challenging. Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard have done a great job of making an entertaining, informative and fun book on this subject for them.

The book presents 26 heroes of the faith, one for each letter of the alphabet. Granted, this presents a limitation, since sometimes there are multiple possibilities for one letter. Still, Nichols and Bustard manage to cover a nice variety of figures from throughout church history, from church fathers like Ignatius and Augustine to reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin to others like the Wesley brothers, John Newton, and even Antonio Vivaldi and Anne Bradstreet! One brightly colored page is devoted to each person, and the page is written from their viewpoint.

The illustrations are unique and entertaining, a great counterpart to the text. They're a combination of drawings and photographs. Each one has a likeness of the person featured on that page along with several objects that relate to them. Be sure to pay attention to all the details, some are quite amusing!

The information provided for each person is quite basic, but at the end of the book is a section with further details for older children or adults, along with explanations of some of the details in the illustrations.

The other major limitation of the "ABC" format is that it's not possible to put it in chronological order. Really though, for younger children what we're after is exposure. Understanding the flow of events can come later. Still, the authors have provided a timeline in the back of the book that puts everyone in chronological order, along with dates.

The age range listed is 3 to 6, but I think this book is appealing to a wider age range than that. The bright colors and "ABC" format appeal to younger kids, the witty writing and additional information in the back are interesting to older kids, and the unique, detailed illustrations appeal to all ages. My kids, 1, 4, 9, and 12, all enjoyed this book.

Our family has thoroughly enjoyed The Church History ABCs. It's unique, entertaining, and informative, and makes information on a nice variety of historical Christian figures accessible to younger children. I recommend it to families to use with all ages!

For adults who'd like to brush up on church history themselves, the Reformation in particular, check out The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World, also by Stephen J. Nichols.

(Thanks so much to Crossway for providing a review copy of The Church History ABCs for our family to review.)

Just as it is important for us to teach our children about the Bible when they are young, it is also important to introduce them to the people that played a key role in church history. One particular book that that I have found quite helpful in this regard is The Church History ABCs: Augustine and twenty-five other heroes of the faith. Using the twenty-six letters of the alphabet as a starting point, this book introduces children to the following heroes of the faith:

A - Saint Augustine
B - Anne Bradstreet
C - John Calvin
D - John Donne
E - Jonathan Edwards
F - John Foxe
G - Jane Grey
H - Hippolytus
I - Ignatius
J - Absalom Jones
K - John Knox
L - Martin Luther
M - Monica
N - John Newton
O - John Owen
P - Patrick
Q - Queen Jeanne
R - Nicholas Ridley
S - Charles Spurgeon
T - Tertullian
U - Zacharias Ursinus
V - Antonio Vivaldi
W - The Wesleys
X - Francis Xavier
Y - Florence Young
Z - Ulrich Zwingli

Each page introduces readers to a new letter and a new hero of the faith, with approximately 1-2 paragraphs talking about their life and what it is that made them an important part of church history. The last four pages of the book have additional biographical information about each of the men and women from church history introduced earlier in the book. My wife and I found this book to be ideal for reading to our children at dinner time, but I suspect it would also work well for reading at bed time. If you read one page per day, you can get through all twenty-six heroes of the faith in just under a month. I highly recommend this resource for helping your children age four and older learn their ABCs and some church history all at the same time.

Author Information:
Stephen J. Nichols (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is research professor of Christianity and culture at Lancaster Bible College and Graduate School. He has written several books, including Pages from Church History (P&R Publishing, 2006). He lives with his wife and two sons in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Illustrator Information:
Ned Bustard, a graphic artist, has written and illustrated many children's books, including Ella Sings Jazz, The Story of Sir Galahad, and The Sailing Saint.

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Crossway for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.