This three-volume art curriculum set, Behold the Beauty, is designed to be used by teachers or homeschooling parents for kindergarten–6th grade. The ultimate objective of every lesson is exactly as the title implies: to behold the beauty of creation and to praise God in doing that. As students learn to more closely observe creation while rendering what they see in pencil, paint, or other artistic media, they will be trained to meet that objective. In serving that goal, the lessons teach how to use the elements of art, such as line, shape, and color, while introducing the principles of design, such as unity, variety, and focal point. Not only do students learn to behold the evidence of God’s glory all around them by these means, they also learn to make objects of beauty in order to communicate that glory to others. The curriculum is based on the infallible Scriptures, and the twelve lessons of each grade level comprise a thorough, biblical, and systematic art education.

Behold the Beauty was also written with practical considerations in mind: to assist instructors who have had little or no training in art. The lessons are clear and easy to use, requiring minimal supplies without compromising objectives.

The author, Connie Meyer, is a wife and mother of five children and is a 1982 graduate of Calvin College with a BA in art education. She has used the lessons with her children and has helped teachers teach art in their classrooms.

“This book has been a great introduction to art for my son. We’ve been using it for over a year now and have made many wonderful art projects. I even have his 2 yr. brother participate and he has fun. It teaches great art concepts and includes godly wisdom alongside.”

“This is a great book. There is a small amount of prep (little more than making sure you have the materials), and no special skills required. I have been working through this with my 6 year old (started when she was 5. Her little brother also tries to do the projects (and is successful for the most part). Highly recommended.”

For many, the term “ancient” implies drudgery and irrelevance. However, the outset of this book will dispel any such notions. The ancient age brims with interest, instruction and encouragement for today’s readers. This was an age of miracle-working apostles, fearless martyrs and stalwart church fathers; an age that preserved the Scriptures, drafted the early creeds and produced timeless Christian classics; an age when the church was buffeted by fierce waves of persecution and assailed by heresies of every sort. Through this volume and the ones that follow, the Lord Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the church, sovereignly shepherded His beloved church by His Word and Spirit.

In this first volume of Christ and His Church Through the Ages, author and historian Herman Hanko tells the fascinating story of the early church during the first six centuries of the New Testament dispensation. He relates how Christ faithfully guided the church from the ministry of the apostles through the fall of the Roman Empire. Highlights of this history include the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles, the persecution of the church under Roman emperors, the deliberations of the ecumenical councils and the battle for the truth of sovereign grace.

Through this and future volumes, students of church history and interested readers will surely grow in their love and appreciation for the saga of Christ’s church. They will find church history to be, as the author once affectionately described it, “the exciting adventure of the marvelous work of grace.”

Herman Hanko served as professor of church history at the Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches from 1965 until his retirement in 2001. He is the author of several books, including Portraits of Faithful Saints, Contending for the Faith and For Thy Truth’s Sake: A Doctrinal History of the Protestant Reformed Churches.

Dan Van Uffelen is a church history teacher at Covenant Christian High School in Walker, Michigan. He has taught church history for almost two decades.

[Reviewed by Prof. Douglas Kuiper, current professor of church history at the Protestant Reformed Seminary]

The RFPA website currently lists ten titles written by Herman Hanko, emeritus professor of Church History and New Testament Studies at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary. Publishing this survey of church history will add four more titles to those ten. These four may well be Hanko’s magnum opus.

The four volumes correspond to the four main eras of church history—ancient, medieval, Reformation and modern. The RFPA’s goal is to publish one volume per year for the next four years. Under review is the first volume, covering the first six centuries of church history. Three chapters cover the first period of ancient church history, the apostolic period (30–100). The material in this section is largely based on God’s revelation in Scripture.

Chapters four through ten cover the post-apostolic period (100–313). During this period the church was learning how to live, grow and develop in her doctrinal understanding without the guidance of the apostles. Society and the Roman government hated the church during this era. She battled against heresies that consisted of mixtures of Christian teachings and pagan philosophy, she had to recognize which books constituted the inspired Scriptures and she had to develop in her understanding of the Trinity. By God’s grace and under Christ’s direction, grow and develop she did.

Chapters eleven through nineteen cover the Nicene and post-Nicene period (313–590). During this time, the state stopped persecuting the church and began to favour her, to her weakening. The seeds of the Romish papacy were sown and began to sprout. Notable doctrinal controversies regarding the Trinity, Christ’s Person and natures, and the depravity of man’s nature also characterized this period. The church was working hard to develop in her understanding of the sovereign, irresistible character of God’s grace.

All of which is to say that this book highlights the main events and themes in the history of the church during her first six hundred years—exactly as you would expect it to do and as do many other books. So what makes this book different?

First, the work is intended for a wide public audience, not the narrow field of scholarship. Hanko is a scholar. He is well read in the field of church history and taught it at seminary level for thirty-six years. But his goal is that the members of the church, whether highly educated or not, know the basic points of church history.

Second, Hanko’s goal is to make the reading of church history an enjoyable undertaking: “I have consciously tried to make the book enjoyable and worth reading” (author’s Preface). Indeed, the book tells a story and flows like a story. It is a story—a true story, His (God’s) story.

Other surveys of church history are also intended for a wide audience and are entertaining reads. So the third, and fundamental, way in which this book is different is that it evaluates church history from a Reformed and biblical viewpoint. In Hanko’s words, “While the books that I read were all helpful in giving the facts of church history, some in considerable detail, I could not find one book that dealt with the history of Christ’s church from a biblical and, more specifically, a Reformed viewpoint” (Preface).

In this reviewer’s judgment, Hanko accomplishes all three goals and does so well. His writing style is engaging. His explanation of complex matters (Gnosticism, and the Trinitarian and Christological heresies, for example) is simple enough that the book could be used as a high-school textbook (in fact, the first edition was a limited edition release for that purpose). And Hanko’s evaluation of his material in light of Scripture is refreshing.

The book is full of church history facts, but the analysis of the historical events and themes is this book’s great value. Every historian has a bias, a perspective from which he views history. Some historians, trying to be objective, do not tip their hand as to what their bias is. Hanko tips his hand: history is the unfolding of God’s counsel, directed by the ascended Lord. It is the outworking of principles of history that Scripture tells us to expect—the signs of the times of our Lord’s return. It is the story of men and women who sometimes abided by scriptural principles and requirements, and other times failed to abide by them.

Hanko also leaves the reader with the clear impression that the history of the church long ago is relevant for us today. History’s themes repeat themselves and the heresies that the church battled then are fundamentally the same, though repackaged, as some of the heresies that the church faces today.

I thank my former professor for taking the time to write the book and look forward to the release of the next three volumes.

The contributions of the editor and reviser, Dan Van Uffelen, are also commendable. Dan lists the ten basic categories in which he revised the first edition. Dan’s work was significant and time-consuming. The addition of introductory essays, biographical sketches, sidebars, charts and pictures makes the book more enjoyable to read, and more suitable for a textbook. The addition of an index to the book is also welcome.

The subject matter is precious. The matter is presented at a level that many can read. RFPA subscribers will not only enjoy reading the book but likely recommend it to others interested in the church’s history. 

Medieval. Nowadays, this adjective is used to describe something antiquated, even cruel. In turn, many today see the Middle Ages as little more than a long period of decadence. This second volume of Christ and His Church Through the Ages shows us how history is more complicated than that.

It is true that the medieval age seems the most distressing age in the history of Christ’s church: the rise of the papacy, widespread false teachings and superstitions, the conquests of Islam, and countless battles and wars in the name of Christ. In this sense, these were the dark ages. But the medieval age is also the most fascinating age in the history of Christ’s church: the conversion of the barbarians, the Christianization of Europe, the blossoming of Christian education, the shining of many theological lights, and the labouring of pre-reformers such as John Wycliffe and Jan Hus. This was the age of faith.

Herman Hanko tells the story of how God, in His mysterious ways, made His church to be both a witness to the nations, and the cradle of civilization and culture. Despite much apparent evidence to the contrary, the Lord was preserving his church even in these strange and troubled times. Through it all, God was preparing the great Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century.

Through this and future volumes, students of church history and interested readers alike will surely grow in their love and appreciation for the saga of Christ’s church. They will find church history to be, as the author once affectionately described it, “the exciting adventure of the marvelous work of grace.”

Herman Hanko served as professor of church history at the Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches from 1965 until his retirement in 2001. He is the author of several books, including Portraits of Faithful Saints, Contending for the Faith and For Thy Truth’s Sake: A Doctrinal History of the Protestant Reformed Churches.

Dan Van Uffelen is a church history teacher at Covenant Christian High School in Walker, Michigan. He has taught church history for almost two decades.

Come, Ye Children had gone out of print because of its popularity with our readers. A reprint with a durable cover was done so that children who grew up with this book may order copies to read to their children after a meal or at bedtime. Now it has been reprinted again. Come, Ye Children has been a favourite for over twenty years! The author recommends it especially for children ages 4-8. In truth, anyone new to Bible history can learn from it! A Christian school teacher and gifted storyteller, the author tells 198 Bible stories from Genesis to Acts with a biblical, covenantal interpretation in language easily understood by young children. Each story is true to Scripture and includes a thought to remember and an illustrative drawing. The author echoes David’s sentiment: “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”

“To be clear, this is not a Bible. It’s a storybook that covers the stories in the Bible. This book does not shy away from the uncommon stories that you typically won’t find in a children’s storybook … [It] also has the ‘main’ ones (creation, Noah, Abraham, etc.). The truth is clear and presented nicely with the important details being highlighted. It’s a quick easy read with each story being about a page and a half. Perfect for morning or dinner devotionals … This book is great for children ages 3–10 years old. I love how thorough it is.”—an Amazon.com customer

Read a chapter of this book in Tagalog.

Praise His Majesty is a music book containing 254 psalter (a songbook of Psalms) tunes arranged for beginning pianists. The book (8½ inches by 11 inches) has a sturdy semi-concealed double wire binding and glossy nylon laminate covers. Teachers of piano will find Praise His Majesty a worthwhile supplement to their students’ course of study. Adults with limited experience on the piano will also find this book valuable. The beginning piano student will be able to play the first few songs after only a few piano lessons. The book gradually progresses to levels that are more difficult. Upon completion of this book, the student should be ready to play out of The Psalter itself.

In a tradition that goes back hundreds, even thousands, of years, godly parents in the churches of the Protestant Reformation establish and maintain Christian schools for the instruction of their children. This involves struggle and sacrifice. These parents willingly pay the price in the conviction that, as one of the Reformed confessions expresses it, good Christian schools are a “demand of the covenant.”

Reformed Education is an explanation for the people of God of the fundamentals of Christian day-school education. The book demonstrates that the basis of the Christian school is God’s covenant of grace with believers and their children. Treating such vital subjects as the place of Scripture and the creeds in the school, the biblical view of culture, the qualifications and calling of the Christian schoolteacher, and the goal of education, the author contends that the covenant of God controls and shapes all aspects of the Christian school.

In the course of this explanation, the book defends Christian schools against serious challenges – challenges as old as the claim that the state schools are adequate and challenges as new as the home-schooling movement.

This is the book to put in the hands of all believing parents. It will encourage those committed to Christian education. It will educate those who are doubtful. Christian schoolteachers will benefit from the book’s description of their work: a divine calling to help in the rearing of the covenant child. Indeed, if the author is right in saying that all members of the church, whether parents or not, should support the Christian education of the children of believers as the church’s own children, all can read the book with profit.

Reformed Education, The Christian School as Demand of the Covenant, David J. Engelsma. Grandville, MI: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 2000. Pp. x-101. [Reviewed by Ron Koole.]

The Reformed Free Publishing Association has done all Reformed believers a great favour by publishing a revised edition of Reformed Education. This is a book which Reformed parents who seek to rear their children in the fear of the Lord, and Reformed teachers who seek to assist believing parents in this calling will want to read and periodically reread. This book provides encouragement as well as biblical direction to parents, teachers, and all involved in the task of educating the children of believers.

The original edition of Reformed Education, out of print for a number of years, contained five lectures which Prof. David J. Engelsma presented in 1975 to a gathering of Protestant Reformed teachers at a summer mini-course sponsored by the Federation of Protestant Reformed School Societies. This revised edition has undergone thorough editing and contains a few significant additions which add to the quality and value of the book. One such addition addresses the increasingly popular home-schooling movement. Prof. Engelsma shows why home-schooling is not an option for Reformed parents where good Christian schools exist or where the possibility of the establishing of a Christian school presents itself.

The author shows from Scripture that the basis of Christian education is God’s covenant of grace. This covenant is explained as a relationship of friendship between God and His people in Jesus Christ; as a cosmic covenant, a covenant established with believers and their children in the line of continued generations. On this basis the whole endeavour of Reformed, Christian education depends. This basis determines the nature of the instruction in the Christian school and also defines the goal. Many attack this covenantal basis and establish Christian schools on other bases today. Some seek simply to escape the evil of the public schools, others seek to evangelize the children, while so many today attempt to provide education which will work to reform society and Christianize the world. Fail to establish the Christian school on this covenantal basis and the school will fail to accomplish its proper biblical goals, or the school will pervert the goals to fit its own basis.

The nature of the instruction in the Christian school must be biblical and confessional. The teaching of all the subjects in the light of God’s Word gives unity to the instruction and is the only possible way to teach the truth. The activity of rearing covenant children in the fear of the Lord finds its foundation in the Scriptures and the Reformed confessions, which are the authoritative interpretation of the Scriptures. This, says the author, is the hard work which every Reformed teacher must strive to carry out.

The goal of Reformed, Christian education flows out of the covenantal basis. The author warns that Christian education must not start in the Spirit and then end with some fleshly goal such as the successful, cultured gentleman. The goal rather is the “mature man of God, who lives in this world in every area of life with all his powers as God’s friend-servant, loving God and serving God in all of his earthly life with all of his abilities, and who lives in the world to come as a king under Christ, ruling creation to the praise of God, his Maker and Redeemer” (p. 84). This goal has two aspects. One aspect is that the child eternally praises God, and the other is a temporal aspect in which the child lives a life of holiness in this world.

Yes, the Reformed child of God must be taught to live antithetically in this world. A chapter entitled “Reformed Education and Culture” deals specifically with the justification and possibility of a Reformed school’s teaching a liberal arts education and making use of the works of unbelievers. The author warns against the dangers of world-conformity on the one hand and world-flight on the other. The Reformed world and life view recognizes that this world is God’s creation, which has been redeemed by Jesus Christ. It is in this context especially that the author shows the devastating effects of the false doctrine of common grace. This false doctrine minimizes the fall, breaks down the antithesis, and calls the Christian to cooperate with the world to build up society. Following this doctrine to its conclusion eliminates any need for Christian education.

God places the responsibility to teach covenant children on believing parents. This is why Christian schools must be parental schools. This is also why the teacher stands in the place of parents and is a humble servant. The teacher must love the children of God’s covenant. In a chapter dealing with the Protestant Reformed teacher, the author states the following as the credentials of the good teacher: full of the Spirit and grace of God, thoroughly Reformed, and possessing the ability to teach. Every teacher should be awestruck with his calling and “should feel that he would not accept such a position for a million dollars, and that he could not leave it for two million” (p. 78). With a proper understanding of the relationship of parent and teacher there will follow a close unity of home and school.

In the preface the author informs the reader that in this revision he resisted the temptation to expand the subjects. The average reader thanks him for this. The book presents the truth concisely, as well as defends and warns against dangers and attacks on that truth. For those who desire to read further on particular topics, the author provides an extensive list of other works, in a bibliography and within the footnotes.

As has been stated, all believers will benefit from reading this book. Parents will strive with greater zeal and with all their heart to maintain or establish a good Christian school. Teachers and administrators will grow to understand better their calling and the nature of their work. Board members will be better qualified to observe, interview, and hire teachers. They will also glean principles which should govern decision making in the areas of enrolment and curriculum. Aspiring teachers will be better prepared to interview for a teaching position. And all believers will grow in their understanding of this glorious work. There is power in education. May Reformed Christians use that power to the development of the whole of the child to the service and glory of God—because Christian education is a demand of the covenant.

“[Reformed Education] is a return to the teaching of Scripture … The final chapter on the goal of Reformed education is a gem in many ways” (The Outlook).

“Three essential aspects of the covenant are shown to apply to the way we view education—in it God gives us work to do—by it God gathers up the whole of His creation—and God establishes His covenant with believers and their [elect] children in the line of continued generations … READ THIS BOOK!” (The Evangelical Presbyterian).

“I finished reading Reformed Education yesterday. What a blessed book it is! I was particularly struck by the section on ‘Reformed Education and Culture’ … I found the chapter on the ‘Protestant Reformed Teacher’ really moving! I studied for a post-graduate certificate in primary school teaching at the Church of England Teacher Training College in Norwich, where I’d studied for a degree in Social Studies at the University of East Anglia … Our tutor was a retired lecturer in the Philosophy of Education but ‘in loco parentis’ was not mentioned … Only fairly recently, on reading about the development of education for all here in England, did I come across the fact that schools and their teachers were supposed to be ‘in loco parentis’! It makes all the difference in the world, doesn’t it? It has so much opened my eyes to what is tragically happening here now, with the state taking over the education of children and out of the hands of their parents—very socialist, even communistic!” – England

The first chapter, “The Covenant Basis of Christian Education” and the second chapter, “Scripture in the Schools”, can be read on-line in Spanish. The Spanish edition of this book can be purchased through Amazon.

Grade 4 textbook – Genesis through I Samuel (372 pp. Hardback, £14.00)
Grade 5 textbook – II Samuel through Malachi (372 pp. Hardback, £14.00)
Grade 6 textbook – Intertestamentary Period through Acts (338 pp. Hardback, £14.00)
Workbooks (4 – 71 pp., 5 – 75 pp., 6 – 74 pp. Softback, £4.50 each)

Show Me Thy Ways is the continuation of the Bible curriculum series by Gertrude Hoeksema that started with Suffer Little Children.

Although Books 4, 5, and 6 of Show Me Thy Ways cover the same portions of Scripture as the Suffer Little Children Books 1, 2, and 3, the material is on a more advanced level. The review of the Bible stories is geared for the greater abilities of the children in the higher primary grades and focuses on understanding deeper concepts and themes that underlie the historical biblical events. A correlation of Scripture references come into greater play in these grades. This is considered an “intermediate” curriculum.

“Thanks to solid Dutch Calvinism, your children are expected to learn something … Delightful, easy to use … No hype or tinsel, and definitely none of this wretched pandering to self-esteem” (Mary Pride, Big Book of Home Learning).

“We did find the children’s curriculum [Suffer Little Children and Show Me Thy Ways] very helpful. Thanks a lot!” – Lincolnshire, England

Book 1 – Genesis through I Samuel (347 pp. Softback, £14.00)
Book 2 – II Samuel through Malachi (195 pp. Softback, £8.00)
Book 3 – Intertestamentary Period through Acts (204 pp. Softback, £8.00)
Workbooks (2 – 57 pp., 3 – 56 pp. Softback, £4.00 each)

Suffer Little Children is a series of three teacher manuals for grades 1, 2, and 3 with student workbooks to accompany Books 2 and 3. The material was written to provide unity and continuity to Bible curriculum in Christian schools.

There are five divisions in the teacher manual lessons. They are:
1. Background and introduction
2. Lesson material in semi-outline form
3. Point(s) to remember
4. Memory work of a text that states the central theme of the lesson
5. An enrichment activity, usually interdisciplinary, in art, music, or science.

Instruction is centred around Bible stories. Vocabulary fits the child’s level, and abstract concepts, such as grace, repentance, and faith, are explained and made concrete for the students’ understanding by using examples or picture-words.

Book 1 contains 125 lessons, designed to be taught at the rate of four lessons a week with a fifth school day devoted to review, testing, or supplemental activities. The amount of material is too much to be covered in one week, but because there are only 125 lessons, the teacher may proceed slowly and still finish the manual in one year.

Starting with Grade 2, student workbooks stress review of the facts of the lessons and make use of puzzles, filling in blanks, colour-cues, maps, charts, and some work directly from Scripture.

The author draws from her extensive experience as an instructor of children. she gives in the general introduction to the series in Book 1 a basis and approach to teaching Scripture, as well as the implications of a Christian worldview, and a number of practical tips concerning the art of story-telling, of asking questions, and of using visual aids. It can be profitably read by school teachers, parents, and Sunday school teachers. The curriculum is adaptable for Sunday school lessons.

“Thanks to solid Dutch Calvinism, your children are expected to learn something … Delightful, easy to use … No hype or tinsel, and definitely none of this wretched pandering to self-esteem” (Mary Pride, Big Book of Home Learning).

“We did find the children’s curriculum [Suffer Little Children and Show Me Thy Ways] very helpful. Thanks a lot!” – Lincolnshire, England

This alphabet book is a beautiful collection of Bible passages, short rhymes and detailed illustrations designed to teach young children of their heavenly Father’s almighty power and His faithfulness to fulfil the promises He makes to them as children of His covenant. Use this book to instruct your children in the truths of salvation for all of God’s people and especially His littlest lambs.

“Share this lovely ABC book with your youngest children. Mrs. Meyer’s colorful, detailed illustrations please the eyes; her simple, rhyming verses gratify the ears; and the selected scripture texts delight the soul. What better way to introduce our little ones to the alphabet than with the word of him who is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last?” — Sarah Mowery, children’s and youth literature reviewer for Perspectives in Covenant Education.

This book teaches children …

• what God’s law is: His ten words to His people
• how we obey God’s law: by loving Him and our neighbour
• why we keep God’s law: to thank and praise Him for delivering us from our sin

This book explains and applies each commandment in two to three chapters, covering both what God forbids and requires. Chapters include discussion questions, a Bible memory verse and a related psalm to be sung.

Ronald L. Cammenga is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament Studies at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary in Wyoming, Michigan. He is a former pastor, and he and his wife, Rhonda, have eleven children and many grandchildren living in four states.

Ana Sebastián is a digital illustrator and visual development artist based in Madrid, Spain. Ana also likes to work with coloured pencils and watercolours, and enjoys reading and traveling in her free time.

The following review was written by Todd and Nicole Kooienga on The Ten Commandments for Children by Ronald Cammenga (Jenison, MI: Reformed Free Publishing, 2023). This review was originally published in the July 2023 issue of The Grandville Gleaner.

The Ten Commandments for Children is a valuable book for all ages. The book includes twenty-eight chapters. Each “chapter” is contained on two facing pages with illustrations. The first seven chapters give instruction on what God’s law is and why He has given us His law. Then there are two chapters for each commandments, with the tenth commandment having three. Usually the first chapter teaches what the commandment forbids, and the second teaches what the commandment requires.

The book can function as either instructional or devotional. We used it for family devotions and it worked very well. Each chapter includes a suggested applicable Bible passage (usually around 10 verses long), a memory verse, and a Psalter number. The length of the passages and chapters worked well without being so long that the children lose focus.

There are also three questions at the end of each chapter. These questions were excellent for reviewing and reminding what was taught. The questions in each chapter vary in difficulty, making it beneficial for both younger and older children, and even adults.

We appreciate how Prof. Cammenga does more than make general statements of what we are to do and not to do. But he makes pointed statements and questions to show how we are to apply the law to the lives of children, like reminding them that they are obeying the 1st commandment when they are listening in church on Sunday. Also, the book does well in the beginning and end of reminding us of how the law shows us our great need for Christ.

The book was written with children ages 6 – 9 in mind, but it can be of great benefit to older children and saints of all ages. The length of the “chapters” make the book well-suited to be used as a devotional. While the book is concise, it is by no means simplistic. There are many examples in the book that show what we might consider small or insignificant sins for what they really are; sins against God’s law whereby we see our old man’s hatred for God or our neighbour. The book shows how quickly we can forget God, His love for us, and our love and obedience to Him. Let us always be singing “Oh how love I thy law. It is my meditation all the day.”

The following review was written by Amanda DeBoer on the book The Ten Commandments for Children by Prof. Ron Cammenga (Jenison, MI: Reformed Free Publishing, 2023). This review will be published in the Clarion, a biweekly magazine of the Canadian/American Reformed Church federation, Vol. 72 No. 14, in November 2023.

In today’s day and age, where God’s law is more and more blatantly disrespected and ignored, it is so important to teach our children God’s most wise ways for our lives. The Ten Commandments for Children by Ronald L. Cammenga is an effective resource in this regard. Cammenga not only teaches the commandments, but also explores their depth and practicality in an age appropriate way. He has a kind, yet unwavering, manner of writing that is very appropriate for the topic. The Ten Commandments for Children will undoubtedly be a blessing for many families.

This book has been arranged logically. The first 7 devotionals talk about the commandments in general. This includes topics such as why we have the commandments and knowing our sins. After this, the author spends 2 to 3 devotionals on each commandment. There are 28 devotionals in total.

For each devotional, Cammenga included 5 different sections to work through. One section is called “Let’s learn a Bible verse” in which parents and children can read a short Bible verse aloud a few times. The other sections include the devotional, reading another, longer Bible passage, answering questions, and even singing a psalm! Cammenga used the 1912 Presbyterian Psalter for this, but the beauty of our Book of Praise is that it is easy to sing the same psalm. Parents could even look through the psalm suggested and find the stanza that best connects with what was taught in the devotional. It is clear through these sections that Cammenga’s desire was for the devotionals to be truthful and God-honouring.

Because some sections go deeper than others, this book could be tailored to each family’s need. For those who choose to use it as a bedtime devotional for one child, parents could pick certain sections to work through, based on their child’s age and abilities. Since my daughter loves singing before bed, we always included that as part of our devotional routine! Parents could also choose to do all the sections as an addition to family devotions after dinner with multiple children.

Here are a couple comments on some different aspects of the book. First, it was good to see that Cammenga did not shy away from practical examples that may even tickle an adult’s conscience, such as how we spend our Sundays. We all can be encouraged through this book in our thankful obedience! Cammenga also did not neglect to use the teachings of the Catechism. In one of the devotionals about the sixth commandment, the author defined what patience, peace, meekness, and kindness are. He also talked about loving our enemies. Does this not drip of Lord’s Day 40, Q. & A. 107? What a wonderful way to strengthen the Church-Home connection for our children! Third, since this is a book for children, there are, of course, illustrations. These are tastefully done and modestly presented. For each devotional, the different section titles all have their own colours. “Let’s Learn a Bible verse,” for example, is always yellow. In these ways the book is presented attractively to the readers.

Finally, Ronald L. Cammenga is a professor at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary … It is clear from the book that Cammenga is seasoned in teaching children. And he was, being blessed with 11 of his own to raise and teach! Cammenga has nicely, and wisely, come down to a child’s level to explain the commandments.

Overall, in the age that we live in, it is very good to have a book for children that teaches the commandments and does not shy away from explaining practically how we should be obeying them. I would recommend this book for children ages 8-10.

Read more reviews by Judy Joyce (Embracing a Healthy Family), Abby VanSolkema (The Left Fork), Dawn Peluso (Schoolin’ Swag), Lauren DuPrez (A Beautiful Inheritance), and Vanessa Le (The Outlook)!

“It is exactly what I was looking for in preparing messages for the youth in the congregation I serve. It’s first of all biblical. Secondly, it has depth of insight. Thirdly, it provides excellent application to our lives.” – USA

Watch an author interview on this book.

This book is a teacher’s manual that is designed for use with children ages 4-6 and can easily be used in a homeschool situation. Often teachers express a lack of confidence in teaching art, considering themselves untrained or untalented in this area. This curriculum was proposed exactly for this purpose: to give teachers direction in this often-intimidating subject. The lessons do not assume prior knowledge of art, so the teachers can learn the elements and principles along with the students.

Behold the Beauty is a treatment of art education from a Reformed, Calvinistic viewpoint. The lessons teach the elements of art: line, shape, texture, colour, value, and form and include instruction in putting these elements together. For each grade, there are twelve lessons, which are divided into six main subheads: Objective, Supplies, Vocabulary, Introduction, Directions and Variations. The book also includes student worksheets which can be copied.

The author, Connie Meyer, is married and the mother of four children. She has had a lifelong passion for good art and has an art education degree from Calvin College. She has led teacher seminars on art education and is a frequent author of articles in the Beacon Lights magazine, a young adult magazine.

This book is a teacher’s manual designed for use with children ages 7-8 and can easily be used in a homeschool situation.

Behold the Beauty is a treatment of art education from a Reformed, Calvinistic viewpoint. The lessons teach the elements of art: line, shape, texture, colour, value and form, and include instruction in putting these elements together. There are 12 lessons for each grade, each lesson divided into six main subheads: Objective, Supplies, Vocabulary, Introduction, Directions and Variations. The book also includes student worksheets that can be copied.

The author, Connie Meyer, has an art education degree from Calvin College. She has led teacher seminars on art education and is a frequent author of articles in the Beacon Lights magazine, a young adult magazine.

This third volume in the three-volume art curriculum set, Behold the Beauty, is designed to be used by teachers or homeschooling parents for 4th–6th grade (ages 9-11). The ultimate objective of every lesson is exactly as the title implies: to behold the beauty of creation and so to praise the Triune God. As students learn to more closely observe creation while rendering what they see in pencil, paint or other artistic media, they will be trained to meet that objective. In serving that goal, the lessons teach how to use the elements of art, such as line, shape and colour, while introducing the principles of design, such as unity, variety and focal point. Not only do students learn to behold the evidence of God’s glory all around them by these means, they also learn to make objects of beauty in order to communicate that glory to others. The curriculum is based on the infallible Scriptures, and the twelve lessons of each grade level comprise a thorough, biblical and systematic art education.

Behold the Beauty was also written with practical considerations in mind: to assist instructors who have had little or no training in art. The lessons are clear and easy to use, requiring minimal supplies without compromising objectives.

The author, Connie Meyer, is a wife and mother of five children and is a 1982 graduate of Calvin College with a BA in art education. She has used the lessons with her children and has helped teachers teach art in their classrooms.