I love history. I was educated in the public school system and I did not have knowledge of Christianity. Like many people do, if there was a thought of God in relation to history it probably was “Why does God let these bad things happen?” When taught about important historical people, I was never taught about their love for God and how that gave them the strength and courage to fight for what is right. Being able to teach our children with God at the center is one reason we chose to homeschool. Danika Cooley has written many resources for parents to help them teach children about God. Now she has done another wonderful thing! She has written a Who, Why, Why Series that teaches about important historical events and people but with God at the center.
We had the opportunity to read through her newest set of the series; What Was the Underground Railroad?, Who Were the Abolitionists?, and Why Did Slavery End? The topic of slavery is very upsetting. It’s even harder to think that slavery existed in such a magnitude in the late 1800’s. If your child has been studying the Bible with you, they might have already known about slavery and its harsh conditions. The Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians before Moses was aided by God to set them free. Danika does a great job of writing about these topics and sharing God’s love for all people.
Each book is under 100 pages long. If you have a fast reader they can easily read through a book in one sitting. The books are written very well and appropriate for ages 9 and up. Each book has a timeline in the back which is neat to look over with your child. All the books have drawn illustrations which provide a nice visual while reading, I think it’s good to have this for younger readers. I don’t think there is a particular order you need to read the books in my opinion, they definitely complement each other.
Why Did Slavery End? Provides an overview of the rise of slavery. It talks about families being separated, and how many died but it isn’t so graphic that it would upset kids. In the United States, I think we only learn of our own history of slavery. I will say I was sort of blown away at the number of countries that participated in slavery and how long it lasted in some places. I really like how Danika shared we are all made in God’s image and that God does not agree with this practice.
Who Were the Abolitionists? This is a nice collection of short biographies introducing children to ten people who worked hard to abolish slavery. I had heard of a few people mentioned in this book, but some were new for me. One such person I had not heard of was Phillis Wheatley, I found her story very interesting but also a bit sad. She was a slave, she was taught how to read and write. She wrote many poems and impressed many people with her writing but she had many hurdles to overcome. Unfortunately, her talent was dismissed by Thomas Jefferson but thankfully not all shared his opinion. It’s a great book to begin a study on the Abolitionists and can further research for older children.
What Was the Underground Railroad? Whenever I hear about the Underground Railroad I immediately think of Harriet Tubman. This book provides more study of this topic than the few paragraphs I remember seeing in a history text during my school years. Honestly, much of what I remember is led north. But from this book, I read that this was not 100%, not all underground railroads went north. While we all think about the bravery of Harriet Tubman, this book also talks about the other heroes – station masters and their families.
Overall Thoughts
After reading these books, I am thoroughly impressed with not only their basis on Christianity but also the care of such a difficult topic. Many are in agreement that we can’t forget the past, we must learn from our mistakes. We as Christians know we have a book of truth, the Bible and it will direct us to making better decisions if we follow God’s word. Danika shares scripture in her books to help children understand that God does not separate us based on the color of our skin, He loves us all the same. I love how she included a chapter called Made in His Image.
As I noted these books are part of a series and you can find more about the Who, What, Why Series on her website.
Disclaimer: I received these books in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Life We Build 