If you are looking for something to round out and engage your home school bible program, I’m here today to tell you about Kingdom Files, a new book series from Barbour Publishing. These biographies for kids take the reader on fact-finding missions, back to Bible times, introducing them to real life Biblical superheroes and important figures in history.
Author Matt Koceich has several titles available in this imaginative Christian book series for children. The titles our family received for this review were Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? Written for children ages 8-12, the books in this series are written in the form of a detective story, drawing the reader into the story right away.
At the start, the reader is given a “Fact File.” In this section we find out the important stats on the main character. We find out where they live, their occupation, the time they lived in, etc. I really liked seeing the timeline which not only showed when the person lived but also other events that happened at the same time in history.
Next you’ll find the “Action File.” This section lays out the story and importance of the bible character. It’s written in a way that is not just informative and educational but also engaging and entertaining. Your child will take on the role of detective as they read through the files and follow Clues given throughout these sections. Clues are sprinkled here and there to draw the child deeper into scripture and the significance of the person they are reading about.
And then comes the “Power File.” Here is where everything comes together – the lessons learned, the application, Bible memory verses, etc. You can read the book from beginning to end or you can move more slowly using it as a sort of devotional or daily Bible study.
You’ll also find fun additions to your study and reading in the GAMES section of the Kingdom Files website. Puzzles and Word Games can be a great motivator and an excellent way to gauge how much of the information your child has absorbed. Plus you’ll find EDUCATOR RESOURCES for parents/teachers. The material provided here give you endless possibilities for incorporating these fun paperback readers into full-blown lessons. Great for home, homeschool, Sunday School, etc.
After reading straight through ‘Jonah’ myself, I would recommend reading a chapter, stopping to dig into the information in the CLUE boxes, then checking out the POWER FILE for additional study and application before moving to the next chapter. I love the way you can adapt and use these books to suit your child and your family!
My children all enjoy a good detective story, so this series would have been right up their alley. They may all be older than the target audience of Kingdom Files, but I will be recommending them for my grandchildren. They all love books and reading and being read to. These will be a nice addition to their home libraries (Christmas and birthday gifts!)
Many others from the Review Crew are also reading these terrific books with their children. Pop over to see what they think – just click on the image below:
These sound like great books…something to add to our wishlist for when our little ones get a bit older.
Keeping a wish list for future is a great idea, Kristen 🙂 I am sending copies to my grandchildren and sharing them with the church library as well!