John Knox
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From armed bodyguard to galley slave, from loving husband and father to fiery preacher, John Knox was moved by a relentless passion for the honor of God and the purity of His truth and worship. Yet when he was a schoolboy growing up in the small Scottish town of Haddington, he could never have imagined that he would become a major leader of the powerful movement that transformed Scotland into one of the most committed Protestant countries in the world. Simonetta Carr tells the story of how this great Reformer, whose life began humbly, in a faraway, mysterious part of the world, influenced the church and its beliefs far beyond the borders of Scotland, shaping our thinking still today. - Back cover.
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I'm tempted to say, for a children's book, this is quite good. But honestly? For a brief biography for any reading level, it's quite good. In these pages we get a good picture of Knox's life (public and private), his historical context, and his teachings/beliefs. Essentially, everything you could want. There's excitement, there's hardship, there's triumph and there's tragedy. This isn't a hagiography – Carr isn't afraid to point out weaknesses, or problems with Knox (although she could've gone a little further in that direction). Nor is this all sweetness and light, as you might expect from a children's book. While not dwelling on the details of the violence in Knox's Scotland, she doesn't sweep it under the rug, either. The illustrations are great – the map, the photos and historic portraits are as well. Abraxas does a really good job in making his illustrations pop – but not to the degree that they become the focal point. The text carries this book, but the illustrations aid the text, as it should be.Assuming this is a representative sample (and, based on a couple of interviews I've heard with Carr, I think it is), this is ‘Christian Biographies For Young Readers” series to get for anyone with kids. Or anyone just wanting small biographies to teach them Church History without having to wade through a tome like [a:Bruce L. Shelley 64541 Bruce L. Shelley https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1393796696p2/64541.jpg] or [a:Justo González 7837026 Justo González https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png].
