John Newton (Christian Biographies for Young Readers)
Original price was: $20.00.$18.00Current price is: $18.00.
John Newton’s life was full of adventure, danger, travels, exotic places, and romance. Young readers will encounter each of these things in Simonetta Carr’s carefully narrated and charmingly illustrated book. But more importantly, readers will come to appreciate the way Newton’s life was changed for good, even when he was attempting to run as far as possible from God. In spite of Newton’s rebellion and sin, God’s grace finally won-a grace that Newton recognized as amazing, invincible, and completely undeserved.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1. A Boy at Sea
Chapter 2. Seabound
Chapter 3. God’s Hand at Work
Chapter 4. New Start
Chapter 5. Pastor, Hymn Writer, and Friend
Chapter 6. Opposing the Slave Trade
Time Line
Did You Know?
From Newton’s Pen
Series Description
This series introduces children to important people in the Christian tradition. Parents and schoolteachers alike will welcome the excellent educational value it provides for students, while the quality of the publication and the artwork make each volume a keepsake for generations to come. Furthermore, the books in the series go beyond the simple story of someone’s life by teaching young readers the historical and theological relevance of each character.
Publisher : Reformation Heritage Books
Publication date : July 12, 2018
Language : English
Print length : 64 pages
ISBN-10 : 1601786166
ISBN-13 : 978-1601786166
Item Weight : 1.14 pounds
Reading age : 7 – 12 years
Dimensions : 10.25 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #358,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1,567 in Religious Leader Biographies #8,885 in Christian Bible Study & Reference
Customer Reviews: 4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 26 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Matt –
Fantastic book in a great series
John Newton! Many may know him as the author of Amazing Grace, but what brings a man to write such a hymn? It means so much more to read and understand the person and where things come from in my opinion, and is good for kids to develop the same intrigue.This book is listed as good for 7-12 year old children, and of course that depends on the child. Most words are too big, but of course there are many locations and titles that may be harder to pronounce than other words. The book is a total of about 50 pages in length, which an extra sort of “fun facts”/”did you know” section at the end. About half of the 50 pages is pictures, so it’s not too overwhelming.The pictures in the book are a combination of photos, oil painting style illustrations, maps, and more…. It really is a nice variety.The book publisher did a good job with the printing, there are no noticeable defects, font issues, misprints, binding issues, or anything of that nature. The pages are quite durable, which is good for kid use, and the front cover is thick and soft to the touch (not an abrasive waxy feel).This is a great addition to the series by Simonetta Carr, and well worth the price. That being said, I don’t mind spending money on books kids will actually read, especially when it’s history. It’s not a “flavor of the month”, but rather a book that will get used over and over again. Fantastic!
natevw –
Learned quite a bit mroe reading this
Entering the first couple pages I was a little underwhelmed, because the content seemed watered down with stilted extra explanations “for kids”. But as I settled in my impression improved and while certainly not a /living book/ it’s really not bad for a modern abridged biography. The narrative began to flow and put a little more confidence in the reader and began to draw me in. This feeling only grew as it concluded with some appendices including some actual writings (letters) in Newton’s own words.The illustrations likewise took a little to grow on me, but the artwork while unmistakably “kids book” saccharine is still full and talented. There are many additional pictures and historical reproductions that are pulled in; not always directly from Newton’s own life but captioned frankly as to what they actually are (“about a century after…”) and how they relate to the story (“”…wore similar clothes”).The book itself is a high quality publication: clear printing, consistently stylized coloring, sturdy paper, sewn binding, and everything like that. This is a serious edition and despite thinking I already knew the gist of John Newton’s life I learned quite a bit more through reading this book.
Overland Hills Church –
Love these books!
Love these books
D. Roberts –
Excellent book, but odd illustrations
John Newton is a worthy subject for a series of Christian biographies for young readers. He was a slave ship captain who rejected that life, embraced Christianity, became a preacher, testified to the horrors of the slave trade in Parliament, and who wrote the words to the popular hymn “Amazing Grace.” Like the song, his story is an inspiring illustration of the power of God’s love and mercy to transform a wretched sinner into a powerful man of God.This book does a good job of telling his story to young people. It starts with his early Christian education from his mother before she died of tuberculosis, his pathway deeper and deeper into selfishness and sin, his eventual acceptance of salvation through Christ, and the vast change it made in his life. The language seems appropriate for grades 6 and above, and will stand as an inspiring resource for young people at an age when many are facing their first decisions about whether to follow Christ or the world.The physical book is a quality item. It’s printed in full color on thick, high-quality paper. The type is handsome and easy to read, and the book is illustrated with full-color paintings of Newton and the people around him, along with documents and maps from his times and modern-day photos of the places he visited. The book’s binding is good, and it looks like it will last a long time, even in a school or Sunday school library. Given the quality of the book, I think it’s well worth the price.There is one complaint I have however: The paintings that illustrate the book seem amateurish. The backgrounds are good enough, giving a nice sense of time and place, but the faces seem oddly distorted. I’ve attached two photos illustrating this, one of Newton with his sea captain father and another of him proposing to his future wife. In a book for young people, the illustrations are very important to supplement the word. They connect the reader to the people involved and bridge the distance in time and place. The faces in such illustrations should be clear and straightforward.Others may disagree, but to me, the people in the illustrations seem stylized, distant, and unappealing, giving impressions different from what the text suggests. Perhaps the artist focuses more on artistic concerns, or perhaps is just not that good at faces. In the picture of Newton with his father, the man seems aloof or even annoyed, instead of loving and protective. In the picture of Newton getting ready to propose to Polly, she seems older than she was, and secretly amused, perhaps even cynical, not a kind young woman helping the nervous man she loves to make his marriage proposal.Still, I applaud the writer and publisher for making these books available, and I think they would be a good gift for a young person and a good addition to a church or school library.
Whiplash –
Excellent!
I am very thankful to have been able to review a few of the books in this series. I was not aware of them before, and I enjoyed each one very much. Wesley’s story from the slave trade to hymn writer is worth knowing if you’ve never read it. The suggested age range of 7-12 is fairly accurate. I would suggest older elementary and middle school ages would be best, while teens and adults would also get a lot out of these short biographies. Each has 6-7 short chapters, lovely illustrations, and additional information about the people and places of the time. $16 per book is a little high, but hard covers are durable as well as visually stunning. The fact that the author is a fellow homeschool mom is the cherry on top for me. I highly recommend these books.