Looking good books about church history to read to your kids? Recently, I came across Christian Biographies for Young Readers by Simonetta Carr, who happened to be a homeschool mom of eight children, former teacher, writer, and a translator. I bought these books hoping they would be a good fit my boys ages five and seven, but I think they are still a little young. My plan is to wait another year. The age range is 7-12, but I think if it’s read aloud, then kids age 7 and 8 will probably enjoy them as well. Otherwise, I think they’re great! I sat down to read a few for fun, and I really enjoyed them. My opinion is that they are great books that teach church history to kids by using engaging pictures and age-appropriate text.
Not Too Short, and Not Too Long
The books have somewhere between 5-7 chapters. That’s perfect for studying one person in church history a week. The chapter lengths vary a bit. There’s also an introduction at the beginning. The information is interesting and also dense. She packs a lot onto each page. You have to be able to follow along well and track all the events. That’s my reason for holding off on the books since I know my five-year old would be confused. In total, there are about 60 pages in each book.
Age Appropriate and Simple Syntax
Simoneta Carr shares information that is age-appropriate, such as the dangerous situations that people were in and scary events were occurring during that time period. She doesn’t go into great details about the scary events, but she mentions them. She also excludes information that isn’t necessary, such as Augustine of Hippo’s lover and his illegitimate son. The sentences have a simple structure which is helpful for the younger readers as they to follow along.
Nonfiction Picture Book Format
The format is that of a nonfiction picture book. They include lots of pictures, busts of historical people, plus some photographs of specific locations where events occurred. The back of the book includes a timeline and a page with additional information entitled Did You Know?
Lots of People to Read About
Simonetta Carr has written many of these wonderful picture book biographies. Here’s a list of people she has written about.
- John Calvin
- Athanasius
- Augustine of Hippo
- Martin Luther
- John Owen
- Lady Jane Grey
- John Knox
- Jonathan Edwards
- Irenaeus
- John Bunyan
There are more, but that list gives you an idea.
Good For the Whole Family
I am not as well versed in church history as I would like to be, and frankly I don’t have time to read a 400-page book about church history. However, I do have time to sit down and read books to my children. My hope is that this will be a family read-aloud, including my husband, who enjoys church history. My biggest reason for not simply assigning the books for school reading, but wanting to make it a read aloud, is because I don’t want to miss any good conversations. The conversations are what help us remember what we read, and they also make us better thinkers.
Encouraging
I enjoy reading biographies. They take me out of my world and let me see what life was like for someone else. When it comes to Christian biographies and church history, I am encouraged when read about someone who was faithful and obedient to Christ in the midst of hardship. While these people in Simonetta Carr’s biographies sometimes seem more fictional than real (I say this because they are in a book and not alive now), they are in fact now with the Lord praising him. These Christians have left godly examples of how to live and obey Christ, and someday I will meet them. I want my children to know about the godly people who have lived before them so they can see how different people in different times remained faithful to the same God.
Her books will not only educate your kids about church history, but will inspire them. I hope you give them a try!