My Life as Mrs. Cooks: Kingdom Files (Barbour Publishing) Review

I have several posts about books and reading so you all already know how we feel about it. It is just getting harder to find my definition of "kid-friendly" books. Recently I heard about Barbour Publishing through the Homeschool School Review Crew. They have a series called Kingdom Files and we had the opportunity to read and review two of the books from that series, Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus?. We finished one and we have started on the other and man I am impressed with the way they are written and how engaging they are. Have you ever read a non-fiction story that opened the door to many different discussions throughout the story? Well, that is exactly what happened as we read.

What We Received

We received two paperback books from the Kingdom Files series written by Matt Koceich. Both books, Who Was Jonah? and Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? are Bible-based biographies.

About the Books

Kingdom Files is a Bible-based biography series for children ages 8-12. Both of the books we received were paperback and were 80-90 pages.
Each story starts with a Fact File, the fact file is an overview of the person's life and includes a mini timeline of their life. Then you move into the Action File, this is where you will read the biblical account of each character's life. It is told in a kid-friendly narrative and it is very interactive. There are questions throughout the action file, which lead us to discussion breaks, and these Clue Boxes that lead to even more discussion topics.

Last you have the Power File, the power file breaks down each of the lessons that could and should be learned from these people of the Bible. Each power-up/lesson has a memory verse at the end for the child.

Who Was Jonah?

Who Was Jonah? takes us on a journey through Jonah's life. It starts by telling us what God's plan was for Jonah and how Jonah didn't like it so he ran away. It talks about his prayer from inside the belly of the whale and it teaches children the importance of obeying God. It shared how the people of Nineveh went from being evil to believing God and how they went on a fast all of them, even the King. Even after that Jonah was still not happy. We used this time to talk about the heart and how joy and peace start in the heart.

We have watched cartoons and read stories of Jonah and the what but we never actually read the story from the Bible during our reading of the book we would read what it said in the Bible. There are many lessons that can be learned from Jonah and I'm glad we were able to discuss them together. I will be sharing my children's thoughts as well further down the page so be sure to keep reading.

Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus?

Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? We have not yet finished this whole story yet. I really wanted to have it complete before bringing you this review, however, life happened. I did scheme through it so that I can share with you all what I thought about it. This story takes you on a journey of what Mary's life was like. The story begins with how she was picked by God to carry Jesus, our Lord, and Saviour. She was a virgin so an angel went to Joseph in a dream to tell him. The story goes all the way through the crucifixion of Jesus and when he rose from the grave.

One of the best things I notice about both stories is when I compared it to what the Bible said it matched up. A lot of times stories from the Bible are changed so much to make it understandable, that it doesn't even match up to the Bible anymore. So, I appreciate the author staying true to the Bible.

Our Final Thoughts

My children final thoughts are on Who Was Jonah? because that is the story we finished. I will be back to add their thoughts on Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus? after we finish it.

My 9-year-old son said, "I don't like how when God told Jonah to preach at Nineveh he ran off. I learned that you should listen to God when he tells you to do something because He knows everything."

My 11-year-old daughter said, "This book is nice. On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 10. I learned that when God tells you to do something you should not worry about the "What ifs".

My 12-year-old son said, "I think this is a great book and you can learn a lot from it. I learned that you should not act out of fear."

My 15-year-old daughter said, "I learned a lot from Jonah's story. Even through tough times, God is there. If you trust in God he will provide for you and help you. Satan seeks to devour us and keep us from hope, love, and faith, which God has given us."

The Kingdom Files website also has a section for games and educator resources.