April 19th, 2010
Carr, Simonetta. Augustine of Hippo. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2009. 64pp. $18.00. Purchase at Westminster Books.
Introduction
This is the second book in the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series by Simonetta Carr. The first book was on John Calvin. I know the third book in the series and will say I am uber-excited about the third book! For now, I turn my attention to Simonetta’s treatment of Augustine.
Summary
Simonetta takes a simple approach for the children to easily see the life of Augustine. She offers chapters on his childhood and young adulthood and his search for wisdom and becoming an extremely articulate young man in Italy. She shares how Augustine’s mom prayed for his salvation daily and how he ultimately did become a Christian and followed God into the ministry even if it was against his will! She concludes the biography with chapters on the difficult times that Augustine faced and what he did in the last days of his life.
The book is full of colorful illustrations and even includes a time-line and a “Did You Know?” section for kids who want to know more about the man many call a saint.
Review
I am really enjoying these children’s biographies. They make for great read aloud’s and offer excellent introductions to some great divines that many believe to be beyond the grasp and understanding of children. The colorful illustrations help the kids to “see” the events in Augustine’s life.
The chapters are short enough to read aloud and keep the children seated but just long enough to offer enough detail to pique the curiosity of your kids.
Recommendation
If you are looking for great books or biographies for your 7-12 year old to read, I highly recommend beginning with these. For younger children, I have discovered that these biographies make great read-aloud’s. Even more, I am confident that many adults reading these books will want to know more about the men being discussed.
Christian Book Notes 