Jonathan Park and the Secret of the Hidden Cave

Jonathan Park and the Secret of the Hidden Cave, Sandy & Pat Roy
(Master Books, 1999), pb., 110 pp.

This is a fun little story which is intended to teach some points about creationism and the biblical flood. It is not great writing. The plot is obvious and the stereotypes in the characters are so clear that even my boys were amazed. At times even the most obvious things seem to escape notice by the characters. I also found myself editing the children’s responses to their parents, wishing for more respect to be shown

Still, it was a fun read with adventure and a good tie-in with our current discussion of fossils in school. Also points were made about the value of friendship and God’s providential care. It read like a series from Adventures in Odyssey (in fact the villain seemed almost intentionally modeled after Dr. Blaggard).

.A series of radio dramas have been created as sequels to this book, but we have not heard any of them yet.

In the Time of Noah

In the Time of Noah, N. D. Wilson
Illustrated by Peter Bentley
The Old Stories Series
(Canon Press, 2007), hb., 33 pp.

This is a nicely told, well illustrated rendering of the story of Noah. Like its series counterpart The Dragon and the Garden, however, it will surprise most readers fairly quickly. The distinctiveness of this series is that the stories are told drawing from interpretations from early church authors. Here is the explanatory paragraph found tucked away with the publication data:

In the Time of Noah uses the version of the Deluge story told by many church fathers from the first several centuries after Christ. Nemesius of Emesa, Ambrose, and Clement of Alexandria are just a few. Augustine believed the giants were true giants, but were not the descendants of angelic beings. Others deny both elements of the story [giants and angelic beings fathering children with human women] and, of course, today it’s not difficult to find theologians who deny the story in its entirety.

The opportunity to see the story played out in this way is fascinating, but this also means that a number of complicated issues are raised. I am not convinced that the reading of these early church fathers are correct (as some of their contemporaries thought as well!). When my boys looked at it, they would say, “Is this really true, Dad?” I would have to say, “Not necessarily.” Some examples include Noah pursuing the animals and taming them, gathering phoenixes and winged serpents. The idea that the animals obeyed Noah in a way unknown since Adam is really interesting, but without clear biblical basis.

In the end, I can’t recommend this for everyone. It seems to be aimed at younger children, but at that stage I want them to get a clear presentation which is solid and not dependent on mere possibilities. Later, older children could read this and discuss possibilities.

The True Story of Noah’s Ark

The True Story of Noah's Ark, Tom Dooley
Illustrated by Bill Looney
(Master Books, 2003), hb., 73 pp.

This is a nicely done, beautifully illustrated book. There are so many, very poorly done children’s books on Noah’s Ark. This one seeks to help you understand the setting, what life would have been like at the time in addition providing an apologetic for the historicity of the event. This is all done in such a way that this is a good one for families to read together. The illustrations really helped my boys to get an idea of the immensity of the ark. The book led to some good discussions of what it would have been like to really be there during this time.

Dooley uses more complex vocabulary soemtimes which would make this more difficult with younger children or for children to read on their own. You can read it to your children though explaining as you go. The one part I thought was a reach was the suggestion that the pre-flood civilization may have achieved sophisticated technology. The page had a picture of a city with skyscrapers and a futuristic look. That was a small issue overall, however.

We really enjoyed this book.