JONATHAN EDWARDS
Christian Biographies for Young Readers
By Simonetta Carr
Reformation Heritage Books. 64 pages. £12.21
ISBN 978 1 601 783 547
Unwrapping this book was great: lovely front cover. The back cover is, I think, not so good. Too much explanation and recommendation, not in language for a child.
Jonathan Edwards is a great subject for such a book. I could not quite get into it, though – almost as if it had some of the life sucked out of it. Some of the illustrations were a bit odd. Why would a child be interested in a picture of Isaac Newton, or Voltaire.
How things were different
The information about Edwards’s life gave a good idea of how different things were then, with the hardships of ordinary life and the simple attitude of getting on with whatever is happening. People functioned well, even though there was no electricity. The ‘Did You Know?’ section in the back of the book is great. Some of Edwards’s resolutions are included. Also we are able to read the aims in the life of the Edwards family: ‘to follow God, very closely, and honour him’. I loved the letter to his daughter, showing the most important task for a Christian parent; to commend their child to God and to encourage their child to love God and follow him only.
Is there enough in this book to make a child, later on in life, want to turn to read Edwards’s books? Hard to say. I wonder if this book is not quite suitable for the UK market.
