Read Aloud books

Hello,

Last week I sent a list of read aloud books to you. I had a request for some ideas for read aloud books that are Christian, rather than secular, so this week I will focus on some titles that will fit that criteria.

Deborah by Margaret Heppenstall. One of my favorite read aloud books is Deborah by Heppenstall. This is REALLY old. I read it as a child and it was a real eye-opener to me that someone could and would write a whole book about a Bible character. (Now, we have dozens of them sold by our local ABC store and I have read many of them. They are all good, too, and while most of them are written for adults, they also might make good read alouds. You will need to decide that.) Back to Deborah. This is the story of the Little Captive Maid who was sold into Naaman’s household. Very little is known about her, but Ms. Heppenstall has written a wonderful story. Kids really like it and after I have read it, they want to check it out again. Make sure you have a copy or two in your library.

Voyager by Charles Mills. Charles Mills wrote a great story called Voyager years ago. It was published by the Review and Herald and soon was out of print. I just did a quick check on Amazon and see that there are nearly 30 copies for sale and a few of them are only $0.01 each. The story line is about a preteen boy whose parents have just adopted a young Asian girl. He wants his new sister to be happy and he builds a time machine. He and his sister go back in time to Bible times and view the new world immediately after it was created and many other places. They learn about the Bible and learn to love Jesus. I know. You might be worried about the time machine part, but trust me. It is really a great story. If you like this one, there is a sequel called Voyager ll: Back in a Flash where the story continues. He wrote a third book in this series called Truth Trackers, but I wasn’t quite as impressed with that one. The first one is good and the second one is almost as good. There was something about the third one that didn’t feel the same to me.

Speaking of Charles Mills; he also co-wrote a series with Ruth Redding Brand that I really like. A few friends find a hidden mansion back in the woods and they sneak around trying to see inside. An old man surprises them. He turns out to be the grandfather of one of the children. She is embarrassed by him at first, but the man – Professor Appleby – shows them some of his treasures sent by his sister who is traveling in the Holy Land. She also sends tapes for him to listen to and the children love the Bible stories. They return again and again to hear more Bible stories.
Ruth Redding Brand wrote the Bible stories and they are completely wonderful. Charles Mills wrote the connecting modern story parts. There are six books in the set and I think you really need to read them in order since the modern parts tend to build on one another. The first book sets up the whole series, and the second book builds on that information. My guess is that you have a few of these in your library already. If not, likely someone in your church has a copy you can borrow or you can go to the ABC or Amazon.

Book 1 – Mysterious Stories from the Bible
Book 2 - Amazing Stories from the Bible
Book 3 - Love Stories from the Bible
Book 4 - Adventure Stories from the Bible
Book 5 - Miracle Stories from the Bible
Book 6 - Heroic Stories from the Bible

Do not forget all the old mission stories. Here are a few of my favorites.

Clever Queen by Eric B. Hare
Jungle Thorn by Norma Youngberg
Dookie, Sookie, and Big Mo by Underhill
Dr. Rabbit by Eric B. Hare

There are many more. Also, check out Josephine Cunnington Edwards, the SDA quintessential storyteller. Swift Arrow is a fabulous story and I don’t know of anyone who does not like that story. George is captured by Indians and lives with them as the son of the chief for a number of years until he finally escapes and returns home. It is very exciting.

I hope you have a great week. Enjoy yourself.

Audrey

Currently reading:
A Life Inspired: C. S. Lewis biography by Christopher Gordon
Secret Lives of the First Ladies (audio book) by Cormac O’Brien
The Complete Works of P. G. Wodehouse (I’m 29% through on my Kindle)
Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham