Training Happy Hearts: Dig Deeper with These 2 Bible Biographies {A Review}

Have you been searching for easy chapter books that engage children in Biblical biographies, challenge them to apply lessons to their own lives, and easily support learning activities such as mapping, timelining, copywork, memory work, and more?

Then, check out Matt Koceich's Kingdom Files series from Barbour Publishing. I have just read Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? and recommend them!

What is the Kingdom Files Series?

The Kingdom Files is a series of juvenile biographies written by Matt Koceich which are designed to introduce kids to heroes of the Bible. Each book is set up in a similar fashion with:

a Fact File that lends itself nicely to exercises in mapping, outlining, timelining.

an Action File that offers a kid-friendly narrative in an easy-to-read font with plenty of white space and black-and-white illustrations.

gray Clues boxes throughout the narrative that highlight thought-provoking details.

a Power File that takes the familiar story of a Bible hero and extends it through highlighting specific lessons and suggesting ways we can apply the lessons to our own lives. This section also offers Bible verses for memory.

All this is packaged neatly in a paperback of less than 100 pages.

Great for Developing Readers

My daughter with dyslexia typically struggles with chapter books, but happily made reading the narrative portion of Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? to me an August-September goal for herself. So, whenever we have a few minutes to ourselves, we've been cuddling up and doing just that - having her read me the story.

It's been great!

My daughter is already quite familiar with Mary's story, but was curious how this particular book would tell it and has found the layout and content of the book to be at a "just right" level for her for her growing reading competency. She's breezed through some of the text and surprised us both tackling big words on other pages.

We've also both enjoyed the Clues boxes as things I read to her as a break from her reading to me. I especially appreciated how the ideas in these boxes inspire short conversations and highlight virtues, as well as, sometimes, Biblical parallels.

I also like how the Power-Up's at the end of the book extend the narrative story, challenging us to think more deeply and apply lessons from Bible heroes to our own lives They make the book a biography, Bible study, devotional, and self-help book in one! Love it.

My daughter liked the book as well, although she did ask me why so many parts of the story she knows as Mary's story are missing. I explained to her that the Kingdom Files books focus just on what the Bible says about certain people, not on what has been handed down via Tradition. Thus, this book sticks to Mary's journey through marriage, motherhood, the loss of her son, and his resurrection - telling Mary's story as found in the Bible.

When I asked my daughter what she thought of Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus?, she said:

The reason I like Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? is that you can just read the story, and the little clues can go on the side, so you don't have to read them until later.

Or, if you want, you can just read the clue boxes to find out about some virtues and facts about Mary and how she trusts in God. The Clue boxes are easy to find, because they are highlighted.

You can also read the Power Ups. They tell you how to take Mary's story and incorporate it into your own life. They also include memory verses. I like how the memory verses are written out and are not just a short note of the Bible chapter and verse, like "Luke 1:46". Instead, they have the whole verse written for you so you do not have to look it up.

I like the Action File part of the book the best. Mommy likes the Power Ups the best.

My daughter is absolutely right about me liking the Power Ups! In fact, I am thinking about using the ones from this book as family studies next May since it is a month dedicated to Mary.

Familiar Characters, Wonderful Lesson

My daughter has succeeded so well with Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? that I plan to encourage her to read Who Was Jonah? next. Thus, I decided to keep the Jonah book as a special one for the two of us to read together before letting either of my son's read through it. Of course, though, since I knew I would be reviewing the book before my daughter would have a chance to read it to me, I did quickly pre-read it myself.

In doing so, I was impressed by how Who Was Jonah? goes beyond the simple episodes of Jonah's life that most children find highlighted in Bible storybooks and dives a bit deeper into the full story of Jonah as told in the Bible and how it applies to our own lives. It truly takes Jonah out of the whale's belly and into relevance for life today.

Both Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? are written so that an 8-12 year old can read, enjoy, and learn from them. They are also written, I found, so that a parent reading along can be reminded of truths and pushed to live our callings better. Yes, most certainly,the Spirit whispered to me, reminded me, convicted me, and pushed me more than once as I read these wonderful Christian biographies that I would recommend for any family seeking to deepen their understanding of how Bible heroes can illuminate everyday living.