The First Christians: The Acts of the Apostles for Children [Paperback]

Marigold Hunt (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

The Acts of the Apostles -- for children Marigold Hunt, author of A Life of Our Lord for Children, here continues the tale of Jesus and His Church by retelling for children the events reported in The Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke s account of the dangerous early days of the Church. Focusing on the deeds and experiences of Sts. Peter, Paul, Luke, and Barnabas, author Hunt shows children that the Catholic Church which today seems so ancient and established was born in turbulent times, when merely professing belief in Christ could get you killed -- and not by rowdies and brigands, but by public officials carrying out their sworn duty. Time and again, the apostles wind up in jail (some for years), and time and again God frees them by miracles of one sort or another. With Christian hope and great good cheer, they take up again the task with which Christ charged them just before He ascended into Heaven: Go forth and teach all nations. By foot, on horseback, and on frail craft tossed in stormy seas, they do just that, preaching and teaching their way across much of the known world, winning converts and establishing churches in Palestine, Crete, Cyprus, Malta, Phoenicia, the lands that are now Turkey, and even in Rome itself, the pagan capital of the anti-Christian Empire. Along the way, the apostles heal the sick, cast out devils, and work other miracles. They face down mobs, evade murder plots, and defend themselves in courts in city after city. In the midst of it all, Peter -- whose authority as the first Pope was accepted by all of the apostles - settles disputes that arise among the Christians and between the new Churches. All this and more is told in The First Christians, the thrilling -- and true -- saga of the lives and works of the first apostles of Jesus.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 167 pages
• Publisher: Sophia Institute Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1928832326
• ISBN-13: 978-1928832324
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #224,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for kids, October 30, 2007

By 

A. Shawl "ana's bonanas" (Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The First Christians: The Acts of the Apostles for Children (Paperback)

What a great book. My kids love this book and so do I. When reading aloud, you can answer any questions they have but it brings the acts of the Apostles alive for them. I highly recommend this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Young Catholics, November 26, 2010

By 

Kansas Mom (KS, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First Christians: The Acts of the Apostles for Children (Paperback)

In "The First Christians," Hunt retells the history recorded in the book of Acts. She has a gentle encouraging tone, perfect for reading aloud to younger children (about ages 6 and up).

This book is not meant to be a substitute for reading the book of Acts itself. The author suggests (within the text) reading Acts, reading the book, then reading Acts again (chapter by chapter).

The Apostles are real people to her (as, of course, they should be for us all) and she delights in asides to bring them to life for children. For example, she mentions how much she likes the name Tabitha and wonders why there aren't more girls with the name. Comments like these make it seem like the author is sitting with us, cozy before a fire (which I mention because I wish I had a fire in the fireplace right now) telling us a story of danger and adventure. Hunt often reminds us how exciting the time of the Apostles must have been.

The book was originally titled "The First Catholics" and it is certainly written with young Catholics as the audience. In general, I believe this book could also be enjoyed by non-Catholic Christians. You may want to read it aloud, though, as there are a few places where alterations in the text may be warranted. For example, she mentions at one point that Christian always means Catholic. There are also a few statements about Peter as the first Pope that would probably be strange for non-Catholics.

Another reviewer commented on some of the more gruesome references in the book (like how the Apostles were martyred). I often read stories of the saints to my children with references to how they died or were tortured. The children never seem to have any problem with it. I think touching briefly on such subjects while reading a valuable book is much less likely to disturb children than anything they'd see on the nightly news or many TV shows (which my children do not watch). Seeing things is more frightening than reading. I will be reading this book to my son next year for second grade, but I don't think he would have any problems with it this year as a first grader.

10 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Strong Roman Catholic viewpoint, quite anachronistic, June 5, 2008

By 

RDG "Robert" (South Bend, IN) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The First Christians: The Acts of the Apostles for Children (Paperback)

I bought this book for my 8-year-old daughter; after reading it myself, I decided against giving it to her.

To give it credit, it is a very well-written retelling of the Acts of the Apostles for children (something that is surprisingly difficult to find). But the author seems to be unable to resist throwing in odd little asides, some of which reinterpret the Acts in a completely anachronistic and Roman Catholic way.

We are Episcopalians, leaning towards the Catholic end of that church, and have read with our children many books of saints etc. that are aimed at Catholic children -- we have no problems with the Catholic perspective per se. But, to give a couple of examples: we are told that, during the period that the Acts describes, "Our Lady" was attending the Temple and responsible for the birth of the Contemplative Orders, while the apostles whose activities are described in Acts started the Active Orders, both of which are needed in the Church -- a grafting back onto primitive Christianity of medieval monasticism. Elsewhere, when we are told of martyrs professing that they are Christians, the readers are instructed that where they read "Christian" they can understand "Catholic" (note: this book was first published under the title of "The First Catholics"). Another example of a different sort: after telling the story of Ananias and Sapphira (itself a rather gruesome story for children, but anyway), the author hectors the reader about how much God hates hypocrisy (which is no doubt the case, but it is stated in a way frightening for young children), and then goes on to speculate quite gratuitously about whether the couple struck dead for lying to Peter were then sent to the torments of Hell. Almost every page or two there is a jarring note like this.

In my judgement, it is not an appropriate book for young children. Non-Catholic parents who want their children to read it to get an idea of the early church should, I think, read it with them, so as to address the frequent distortions of Scripture. I imagine that even Catholic parents might have some qualms about their children reading such a "partisan" and unscriptural account of the first decades of the Church.