It’s not always easy to find books for my younger children to read that are age appropriate, hold their attention, and support our values. Add to that wish list strong Biblical characters and a good mix of education and adventure and you have just described the Kingdom Files by Matt Koceich. Barbour Publishing, whose mission is “To inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible”, has brought many books to the Christian market for readers of all ages.
The Kingdom Files is a fun and exciting series that covers famous people (and their stories) from the Bible. These books are non-fiction, with plenty of Scripture references, written for our children ages 8-12. The two titles (of the six currently available) that we received were enjoyed by both sons and daughters. Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? are the titles we received. We will definitely be adding the others. Even though these stories may be familiar, the way in which they are presented and the application and thought encouraged makes them much different from any my children have read.
When we received these we were officially on break from school work, so I did not treat this as something they “had” to do. All I had to do was sit on the sofa and start reading aloud and my children started gathering around. I tried to quit after the first chapter, but they were asking for more. We backed up and looked at the introductory material. The book opens with a letter to the “Reading Detective” which spells out the different files and clues found in the book and what the readers’ mission is. The first file is the Fact File. This is where we learn very basic information about the who, what, when, and where of the title. With graphics like a timeline and map, this information is presented in a way that all ages can be ready for the rest of the investigation, er, story. Then, I was busy with my own chores and my children continued reading this on their own! If you’ve followed our slow start to reading with these younger three, you know what a big deal this is!
Throughout the short chapters are sidebars (Clue Boxes) indicating relevant clues, things that help your child apply the actions or thoughts of the main character. This story portion keeps factual, not crossing into historical fiction territory, yet is written in an easy way to appeal to the younger ages. There are further maps and other illustrations sprinkled throughout. The reading is easy enough that my children were reading some of this themselves. Most are reading just under grade level. This really boosted their confidence and gave great practice. I love when we can find a resource that fits so many needs!
The third portion of the book, the Power File is where we found the lessons. Presented as “Power Ups”, these 10 short devotional style readings include a memory verse. Each Power Up is a two-page spread. We used these, one each weekday, following the complete reading of the book. I read these with our youngest children (8, 10, and 12) and let them discuss. Then they wrote out the memory verse in their notebook. Even though we were trying to keep any school work low-key, this was an excellent way to start our day.
We have also enjoyed the Imagine series from the same author, Matt Kaceich. Read other families’ thoughts and experiences with these wonderful little books, the Kingdom Files, by clicking the image below.
