Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this activity book for free to review. All opinions are my own.
The North American Martyrs Kids Activity Book was written by Bonnie Way and illustrated by Katherine Babcock. Bonnie is a Catholic, homeschooling, mother of five who blogs at The Koala Mom and is also on instagram, twitter and facebook.
The North American Martyrs Kids Activity Book is aimed at (Catholic) children aged seven and up. My daughter is only three, so I haven’t been able to test out if it is age appropriate, but it seems right to me – about the level of understanding you would expect from children who have already taken their first Holy Communion and have regular catechism.
The retail price is $20. You can buy it on Amazon [not an affiliate link] but Bonnie is going around to a few craft fairs too, so keep an eye out! $20 is quite a lot of money, but there’s a lot of good quality stuff in there and the pages are reproducible so the book can be used for several children. It’s chunky, with over 120 pages of information and activities. Each martyr has a chapter devoted to him of about 15 pages, starting with a brief history before moving on to the exercises.
There is a good mix of fun activities (a colouring page, maze or word search) and more serious exercises (doing research, making notes, answering comprehension questions). The more challenging activities really encourage children to think about what the missionaries did and why, and how that applies to them and how they live Christian lives.
Although my children are too young at the moment, I’m looking forward to sharing this with them in a few years’ time. I think it’s a fantastic resource to help children to deepen their faith and understanding of God’s love and the saints’ love for God.
The Mulberry Bush 