I've explained many times that we focus on reading for the foundation of our education. Much to my kids' dismay though, I do not allow certain types of books for "school," so you can imagine how surprised they were when I handed them a comic book for approved school reading to review. This isn't just a typical comic book though.
The Captain Sun Adventures, by pastor Bryce Morgan, is a collection of comic books that combine the excitement and adventure of superheroes with the truths of the Bible. Part comic book, part devotional, these books help kids "think of superheroes, not just in terms of fun, but also in terms of faith." Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith is the first book in the series and is filled with many lessons from the Bible.
The story is like most comic books. It is fast-paced and filled with both narration and dialogue. Pages are filled with frame after frame of bold artwork and visual cues. Not only does this book introduce the main hero (and his secret identity), it also gives a little backstory, addresses a villain, and involves a team of addition superheroes.
The Captain Sun Adventures, by pastor Bryce Morgan, is a collection of comic books that combine the excitement and adventure of superheroes with the truths of the Bible. Part comic book, part devotional, these books help kids "think of superheroes, not just in terms of fun, but also in terms of faith." Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith is the first book in the series and is filled with many lessons from the Bible.
The story is like most comic books. It is fast-paced and filled with both narration and dialogue. Pages are filled with frame after frame of bold artwork and visual cues. Not only does this book introduce the main hero (and his secret identity), it also gives a little backstory, addresses a villain, and involves a team of addition superheroes.
The evil villain Black-Out came to "snuff out the light" in Capital City with his choking darkness. Captain Sun appeared and saved a bus full of children from plummeting into a raging river, fixed a hole in a plane's wing and prevented it from falling to the ground, saved an enemy from sudden death, all while trying to defeat the villain and trying to break free of his overwhelming darkness. He used his incredible strength and speed along with his super nova power and solar fire. Then, he employed the help of the Hero Defense League. Along with the help of Fogbank, Missile Man, Electro Lad, and Landslide, he was able to distract Black-Out long enough to get the help of the city. He convinced the people to join together become a light so bright that they chased away the darkness together.
After each chapter of the story is a newspaper page that acts as the devotional part of the book. These sections take a theme from the story and relate it to a lesson from the Bible. Some examples are as follows:
The devotionals also include a fun question like If you could have just one super power, what would it be?, What is something heroic that you could do today?, and How many super villains can you name?. These questions encourage thinking and add a fun aspect to the lesson. There is also Bible verse to compliment the theme.
The end of the book contains a list of questions to think about. The questions are broken into chapters and either relate to the story itself or address themes from the book that can be applied to our Christian lives. There are also fun printable coloring pages on the website that accompany the story.
Here is what my kiddos thought of the book:
After each chapter of the story is a newspaper page that acts as the devotional part of the book. These sections take a theme from the story and relate it to a lesson from the Bible. Some examples are as follows:
- Our "origin story" and how God transforms us to our new identity in Christ
- Bad guys, sin, and God's grace
- Superpowers and the power we receive through faith in Christ
- Secret identity and living for God
- Heroes and working together for the cause of Christ
The devotionals also include a fun question like If you could have just one super power, what would it be?, What is something heroic that you could do today?, and How many super villains can you name?. These questions encourage thinking and add a fun aspect to the lesson. There is also Bible verse to compliment the theme.
The end of the book contains a list of questions to think about. The questions are broken into chapters and either relate to the story itself or address themes from the book that can be applied to our Christian lives. There are also fun printable coloring pages on the website that accompany the story.
Here is what my kiddos thought of the book:
I really liked it! The team up was really cool.
I think this is one of my favorite books. I really like it!
I think this is one of my favorite books. I really like it!
I like how it has the newspapers and the Bible verses in them.
Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith is a cute little book with big lessons. I have 4 boys and 1 girl, and let me tell you, superheroes are a big thing around here. The kids are always pretending that they possess amazing powers. I like how this book merges that excitement with the power of Christ and teach kids to be superheroes for Him. The newspaper devotionals are perfect for little heroes. Kids are drawn to the comic book style and superhero theme, but they'll learn a lot about Christ and our responsibility to live for Him.
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