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The Church History ABCs is a picture book that introduces twenty-six noteworthy individuals who had a significant impact on building the church.
The Church History ABCs: Augustine and Twenty-Five Other Heroes of the Faith by Steven J. Nichols, illustrated by Ned Bustard. Crossway, 2010. 40 pages.
- Reading Level: Picture books, ages 4-8
- Recommended For: Ages 4-8
Church history is full of interesting characters with names that are more or less familiar. The Church History ABCs: Augustine and 25 Other Heroes of the Faith includes brief biographical sketches written in the first person, introducing each individual with short sentences listing highlights of his or her life. The snippets are just enough to make the reader curious, though the brevity feels almost terse because there is so much to cover in just one paragraph!
The illustrations are cartoon representations of famous portraits which help build familiarity with the figures. Sometimes they are depicted with extra hints not alluded to in the text, such as Jonathan Edwards wearing a headdress with two feathers (there is no reference in the text to his work among Native Americans), and taking a bite of a Hershey bar (because he was fond of chocolate). On the other hand, the introduction to Hippolytus includes a photo of a hippopotamus, which doesn’t fit anywhere in his story. There are a few women and one black person, showing some effort to include a broader range of history.
Bottom Line: Families looking for a simple introduction to a variety of people God has used to build His church will find The Church History ABCs a good resource to build from, offering questions to explore further.
Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader
- Review: See Reformation ABCs for a similar book by the same duo.
- Review: African Heroes by Jerome Gay, Jr. offers a nice expansion on the traditional church history lineup.
- Resource: For a comprehensive resource on church history, we suggest Simonetta Carr’s Church History.
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You may purchase Church History ABCs on amazon.
Even better, we recommend purchasing it from Westminster Books (as of this writing, it’s less expensive there than Amazon).
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