Customer Reviews

The Squire and the Scroll: A Tale of the Rewards of a Pure Heart

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a tale of the importance of guarding your heart from evil. I bought this as a Christmas present for my two sons, ages (both nearly) 4 and 6. While it was a bit over the head of my 4yo it certainly captured my nearly 6yo's attention.

The kingdom in the book relies on the Lantern of Purest Light for peace and joy in the land. An evil dragon steals it and many seek to recover it, only to be lost themselves. The king sends his last and most trusted knight (along w/ his squire) to retrieve the lamp lest the kingdom perish. The squire was raised according to a scroll by parents who honored the Lantern while the knight is aware of it but doesn't allow it to dictate his actions. Who (I wonder...) will survive the perilous journey to the dragon's lair and bring the lantern back?

This is a Christian allegory that illustrates 5 main concepts in Christian living (i.e. keeping your gaze focused and not turning to the left or right) and it ends (in very tiny print) with a quote from Psalm 119:9. While it is aimed at young boys, it also serves as a reminder to parents to raise their young squires rightly, too. Highly recommended book. I also appreciated the sturdy hardcover binding.

I bought this book for my son's 5th birthday. He asks me to read it to him nearly every night. The story of knights and dragons engages him, as it is so exciting. And the beautiful illustrations keep his attention focused on the book as I read to him. He often wants to look at the book on his own before going to sleep.

I'm so impressed with Ms. Bishop's writing. The story grabs my son's attention at the very first page, and keeps the story moving. Even though I was afraid the book was a little lengthy for him to listen to, he was hooked. Also, the book shows how important it is to guard one's heart especially by what you hear and see. This principle is woven into the story so well, and not sugar-coated.

This is a wonderful book with a very simple and important message - heed the Word of God in all things. The young squire in the book succeeds where all others fail by following the words of his "scroll" and keeping himself pure - thus saving the entire kingdom from evil.

All of my children are captivated by this story - my boy and my girls, from the 7 year old right down to the 2 year old. This book makes it very easy to teach children about how God's laws are made to protect them and keep them happy - and about the importance of following God's laws. This has quickly become a favorite book at our house and we give it as a gift to every child we know - which has delighted the children and their parents alike.

I also highly recommend "The Princess and the Kiss" by the same author - another priceless aide in raising up our children for God.

While I appreciate the author's attempt to use allegory to encourage and assist parents in teaching that purity is important to their children, the author does not appear to have the theological skill of Lewis in writing allegory without unintentionally muddying the theological waters.

The representation of Christ as Aslan by CS Lewis is of a different nature than the angle of the Lantern that I see in the story line. In no way did Lewis ever compromise the nature of Christ. If in some way the Lantern is representing Christ, then He certainly doesn't need our protection - it's the opposite, we require His protection. If the Lantern is representing purity, then that is not something to be served...but something that serves us. (See the quotes I have pasted below pulled directly from the book "The Squire and the Scroll").

There is quite of bit of theological muddiness here - it's not as simple as if the Lantern represented Christ...which it can't, because we cannot have Christ stolen from us if we are believers. We dod not have to rescue Christ from the Dragon's lair, for Christ put all things under His feet. He is the victor. So if the Lantern represents Christ (as in a line quote below the Lantern shows the way), then what exactly is going on here? If we are talking about the Lantern representing Purity (which can and should be guarded), we have other issues.... Christ brings peace and joy, not being good. Christ should be honored as opposed to a quality (purity - see again the quoted lines below). The Pharisees honored "being good" (legalism) and were completely missing the mark. The story also talks about *obeying* the Lantern. If the Lantern is Christ, fine, He is honored by obeying the Scroll (Bible); however, if the Lantern is not Christ, but is Purity...then we are honoring "being good," which again, is like the Pharisees. (And in the story line, the characters are rescuing the Lantern which is then to be honored and served. Hmmmm).

So...is the Lantern representing Christ? If so, it's not being done as Lewis did with Aslan - instead, it becomes a idol with a tenuous hold on things that can easily be captured away (as in Old Testament idols). If it represents Purity, then is the idea of "being good brings peace and joy, shows the way, etc" the idea we want to bring across? Are we wanting to say that "acts of righteousness" will show the way?

Some quotes from the story:

It was this good man's charge to guard the Lantern of Purest Light, the lamp that brought peace and joy to his kingdom.

His kind parents were not people of great position, but they had clean hearts and honored the Lantern of Purest Light as the people of the kingdom did.
And the boy promised to honor his parents and the Lantern by living his life by the five truths in the scroll
.
and he honored the Lantern by obedience to the scroll in all that he did. The words of the scroll had seen him through many a temptation. But the knight did not remember the words of the scroll.
"For the Lantern and the scroll!" shouted the squire, and he plunged the sword into the dragon's body.

And when the travelers came to the tunnel, it was open, and the Lantern showed the way

"Because of his bravery and his devotion to the Lantern and to the scroll, he will have my daughter for a wife and rule my kingdom one day. For who better would guard the Lantern of Purest Light than one with a heart kept pure?"

A shout went up from the people, for they were in agreement with their king.
Beyond knighting the young squire, the king instituted a new order of protectors; the Knights of the Lantern. The knight who had trained the young squire became its captain. These men dedicated themselves to the words of the scroll and to the defense of the Lantern

And when the two were gifted with a son, the knight taught him from the scroll so that he would one day be ready to defend the kingdom and the Lantern.

Alittle yeast leavens the whole lump. I just can't help worrying about the murkiness of this, especially when teaching impressionable children is involved.

This is a wonderful story of how to guard your senses from impurity. A young squire goes out to rescue the lamp of purity which has been stolen by a dragon. A wonderful book to add to your collection!

This is a must read for ALL males not just young boys! Oh how things might have been different for those men who struggled through their lives with the virtue of purity if they had only read a book like this one at a young age! Read this to your little boys! Women, buy it for the men in your life! Women, read it, too! And men, women, boys, (and girls) don't just read it once. Read it to help keep you on the right road, the road of purity. Parents, your children depend on you to have a pure heart. They do what you do more than do what you say. Take it from me, I'm a school counselor. I hear EVERYTHING. A pure heart (and mind) is a happy heart.

This book has adventure, suspense, and romance! You won't be disappointed!

This book is so fabulous! It grabbed all of our boys attention right of the bat, which is hard to do! (They are 7, 4,and 2 years old) The pictures are wonderful, large and really capture a boys heart. The story is engaging and full of great metaphors that are easy for children to follow. Our boys love it so much we ready it quite regularily and we have bought them each their own copy.

As I read this aloud for the first time today (got it at a yard sale and didn't think I had to preview the whole thing), I became concerned because of the tendency of many Christians to worship the Bible instead of having a relationship with its author.

I don't want my children to simply have a 'religion of the book' so I suggested to them that the squire could have given the scroll to the dragon, because he had memorized its contents anyway. He had "hidden the word in his heart" as King David said in Psalms. Furthermore, Jesus Christ is "the word of God" in the book of John - he is in my heart and nobody can take that away. Take my scroll if you must! I have a secret: I have the real thing! The author is not dead; he can be consulted anytime.

The ending was just a bit too perfect: they get married, have a baby and live happily ever after... Yes, I'm all for that, but to wrap up the package that neatly can imply that other stages in life aren't God's plan. (I may hide this book when my friend who is desperate to conceive comes to babysit.) It says in part, "they could not have been happier" yet Paul advises us to learn to be content in all circumstances. On the other hand, for children, it's good to promote their existence positively.

The illustrations are wonderful! Although, I noticed at the end that the knights' uniforms looked like those of the Crusades (probably not the best imagery in the eyes of critics).

But I do enjoy a good story and it's hard to make an allegory perfectly parallel to scripture. As always, talk to your kids about what you read, read the scriptures, and pray to the living God. I wouldn't say this book hit my theological nail on the head exactly, but is much preferable to the dribble out there, in which I've encountered subtle witchcraft, kids' lying represented as being funny, sarcasm and materialism, all for even the tiniest of children.

I'm confident that the author had the best spiritual intentions, and I'm glad someone is saying something about "guarding your eyes" and the other truths.

This book reminded me of the great Christian classic by Bunyan The Pilgrim's Progress. Armed only with the scroll (the Word of God), this young squire must slay the dragon and rescue the lantern for his kingdom. The scroll is the light for his path, his sword to slay the dragon, and the tool to see clearly in the darkest of times. While others pursued the treasures of this world, the young squire held fast to the treasure of God's Word and was victorious in his quest. The book is based on one of my favorite verses in Scripture, Psalm 119:9, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word." Highly recommended, especially for young elementary aged boys.

Any little boy who loves dragons and knights will be enthralled with this story. The message is great too. The squire is greatly rewarded because he remembers the words on the scroll (the Word) and it allows him to overcome evil. Lots to talk about after you read it with your kids.