John Calvin

by Simonetta Carr
Reformation Heritage Books, 2008, 64 pages

Simonetta Carr has created an impressive educational resource that parents and teachers will absolutely love… and children will like.

Parents and teachers will love it because it has good pictures and strong writing that make it an excellent read-aloud book. Though in the format of a picture book, it might be better to think of it as a chapter book – it is divided into seven chapters and has more than 50 pages and over 4,000 words. That length gives Carr the space she needs to deliver a solid overview of Calvin’s life and emphasize the importance of his work. It also allows her space to include more trivial but interesting tidbits, like the fact that some of Calvin’s opponents named their dogs after him, and that Calvin would occasionally play a game similar to horseshoes with his friends. There is really no better book to introduce young children to this Hero of the Faith.

John Calvin’s length and the serious subject matter do mean the book is unlikely to become one of your children’s favorites. However, if mom or dad decide to pick this off the shelf and read aloud a chapter or two, it’s also unlikely your children will mind at all. Recommended for 7-10 year-olds.

You can pick it up at Amazon.ca here and Amazon.com here.