Reformation Heroes

Reformation Heroes, by Diana Kleyn with Joel Beeke
(Reformation Heritage Books, 2007), hb., 240 pp.
Ages 6+

I have been meaning to comment on this book for some time. It is an amazing resource- the most thorough book for children on this topic that I know of. It is based on a 19th century book, The Reformation and Its Heroes, by Richard Newton. I have commented on a number of books on characters from the Reformation here because the Reformation is one key area of history with which I want my children to be well acquainted. If you feel the same, this book is a must have.

It is not difficult to find books on Luther or Calvin, or even Wycliffe, but the comprehensiveness of this book is amazing. It covers precursors to the Reformation, English, German, French, and Dutch Reformers Anabaptists and the Catholic response. Here is a list of the people and events discussed in the book:

Peter Waldo
John Wycliffe
Anne of Bohemia
John Huss
Martin Luther
Philip Melanchthon
The Protest at Speyer
Martin Bucer
Ulrich Zwingli
Heinrich Bullinger
William Tyndale
Edward VI
Thomas Cranmer
Hugh Latimer
Nicholas Ridley
John Foxe
John Knox
Guido de Brès
The Heidelberg Catechism
Caspar Olevianus
Zacharias Ursinus
Frederick III
Peter Martyr Vermigli
John Calvin
Theodore Beza
Jan Laski
The Duke of Alva
William, Prince of Orange
Petrus Dathenus
Quenn Marguerite of Navarre
Queen Jeanne d’Albret of Navarre
Admiral Coligny & the tragedy of St. Bartholomew’s Day
Charlotte, the Nun of Jouarre
William Perkins
William Ames
William Teelnick
Konrad Grebel
Felix Manz
Ludwig Hätzer
Gerog Blaurock
Thomas Müntzer
Jan Mattjis
Jan Beukelssen
Melchior Hoffman
Jakob Hutter
Balthasar Hubmaier
Menno Simons
The Counter Reformation

I consider myself fairly well informed on the Reformation, but there are names on this list that I did now know before this book! The stories are well told and nicely illustrated. I heartily recommend this book.