Hero Tales, Vol. 2: A Family Treasury of True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes [Hardcover]

Dave and Neta Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hero Tales | Publication Date: July 1, 1997

Timeless Lessons for Families From Great Christians of the Past

Drawn from the lives of fifteen key Christian heroes, Hero Tales: Volume II is a beautifully illustrated treasury of forty-five exciting and educational readings designed to help foster Christian character qualities in families with elementary-age children. This inspiring collection presents a short biography and three true stories for each hero, including:

John Bunyan

Jim Elliot

Watchman Nee

John Newton

Florence Nightingale

Corrie Ten Boom

Whether read together at family devotions or alone, Hero Tales: Volume II is an ideal way to acquaint children ages six to twelve with historically important Christians while imparting valuable lessons.

DAVE & NETA JACKSON are full-time writers and editors whose talented work on the bestselling TRAILBLAZER BOOKS has earned them numerous awards as well as world-wide acclaim. They bring their gifts for meticulous historical research and carefully crafted stories to the pages of Hero Tales: Volume II.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8. A compilation that highlights 15 Christian missionaries and evangelists and emphasizes specific character traits associated with each person. Written primarily as a read-aloud family devotional, the book is in part a condensation of the Jacksons' "Trailblazer Books," which are individual Christian biographies. This title is a neat union of standard juvenile biography, Christian history, and values education a la William Bennett in its focus on positive, nondenominational character building. Both famous and unknown personalities are profiled, and women and ethnic minorities are well represented. Time periods vary from John Bunyan's imprisonment in the 1600s to Corrie ten Boom's survival at Ravensbruck Nazi prison in 1945. Each biographical sketch is followed by three specific incidents that represent different character qualities in that subject's life. (Florence Nightingale, for example, exhibits generosity, patience, and kindness.) Each "mini-story" concludes with a definition of a character trait, a supporting Biblical quote, and questions to stimulate further discussion. The book's appearance, however, is misleading. The large print belies topics and terms that assume a more mature exposure to world history and government, philosophies, and practices. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's resistance to Hitler's "Aryan Clause," for example, may require further explanation. Although limited in recreational reading appeal, this volume can be of use to adults seeking values-oriented materials. A helpful "trait index" includes an alphabetical list of character qualities that correspond to the profiles.?Carol Beall, Immanuel Christian School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This is an excellent four-volume set to have in the home, as well as in school libraries." -- Children's Literature

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (July 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556617135
• ISBN-13: 978-1556617133
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #866,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book on Christian Heros, May 22, 2007

By 

Mom Who Reads A Lot (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hero Tales, Vol. 2: A Family Treasury of True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes (Hardcover)

This book is an excellent resource on the following Christian Heroes:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: He Dared to Stand Up to Hitler
John Bunyan: The Pilgrim Who Made Progress
Peter Cartwright: The Two-Fisted Preacher
Jim Elliot: A Modern Martyr for Stone-Age Indians
Elizabeth Fry: Angel of Prisons
Festo Kivengere: Africa's Apostle of Love
Eric Liddell: Olympic Champion and Missionary to China
Watchman Nee: Leader of the Chinese House Church Movement
John Newton: The Slave Trader Who Found Grace
Florence Nightingale: A Nurse at Heart
John Perkins: A Man Hate Couldn't Stop
Amanda Smith: American Evangelist to the World
Corrie ten Boom: The Watchmaker's Daughter
Cameron Townsend: Founder of Wycliff Bible Translators
David Zeisberger: Missionary and Friend to Native Americans

The book's format covers a 2 page biography on the hero, then follows up with separate chapters on character qualities specific to the individual (i.e. Corrie ten Boom has three separate chapters describing her faithfulness, thankfulness and forgiveness). An added bonus is that there is a list of all the character qualities in the back of the book. So if you're looking for examples of a specific character quality the list is a wonderful resource.

I found this book very interesting, especially since I have never heard of many of these people. The age level for those who would be interested would probably be 3rd grade and higher. There are no pictures, other than drawings of the person at the beginning of the biography, so it could be quite boring for preschoolers and early elementary grades.

This book is the second in a series of 4 books. However, the books don't build on one another so you don't need to read them in order. I recommend reviewing the hero list in the table of contents and selecting a book based on the heroes that are most interesting to you.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for kids+adults, November 20, 2009

By 

Jason Zietlow "Jason Z" (Norwalk, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hero Tales Volume IV: A Family Treasury of True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes (Hardcover)

Short stories (8-10 pages) broken up into 4 chapters. (2-3 pages each)
Well written and good questions at the end that are not too hard for kids, but make them think for the answers. They are not just rote questions.
I have read 3 of the 4 volumes. Typically there is 1 or maybe 2 stories that are somewhat questionable as to how the person's life lines up biblically. For example,
this book had the founder of charismatic churches and some of his ideas do not line up biblically. Mother Theresa in another volume (although written well for Protestants)
Just use discretion and pre-read the stories before reading them to your kids.