Kingdom Files: Who Was Jonah?

Kingdom Files: Who was Jonah
I read this book with my 7-year-old son. We enjoyed Jonah’s story and reading his life in a more personable perspective. I think we both enjoyed reading this book equally. As an eBook, it was challenging at different points where the layout did not translate well-making things seem disorganized and difficult to read. Although the story was straight from the Bible, parts were over my son’s head as well. This was not a bad thing, and I think he will enjoy reading this in a few years, but it was beyond his reading and comprehension level. I appreciated how Jonah was humanized making him more relatable. I feel like there could have been more thought-provoking and personal questions throughout the book to relate more to the character. We stopped frequently to discuss our own reactions and feelings about what was happening. Overall, I think this was a good book for kids to be able to relate to the Bible and help them understand how real it truly is. Even as an adult there are times when I forget that the people in the Bible are real. It was a good reminder and I was happy to share this with my son.

This is a great short story (roughly ages 7-10, though I enjoyed it as an adult as well) about Jonah from the bible. It was very cute and set up in a fun way. This would be a great way to help children become even more motivated in learning about men and women from the Bible. I hope that the author has/will write these for other individuals from the Bible since they are so fun!

Thanks to Matt Koceich, Barbour Publishing and Net Galley for this advanced look into this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Kudos! Obviously well-written...it got published. Great illustrations. Wonderful format.

Have questions about the story of Jonah and the whale? This book will answer most of them for you.
Clues will guide you in the direction of the truth. The Word of God.
There are some opinions in this book. Our job is to read it, compare it to the Word of God and then ask questions of the adults you trust; parents, guardians, ministers, etc... Discussing the Bible with others will give you additional insight.
Use the Power-Up sections in this book during devotion times and memorize those verses! Hiding the God's Word in our hearts makes us strong.

This book came along at the perfect time for me, as I have been prepping a series on Jonah for my local church.
This was an awesome resource for the kids in my ministry! The book has cool graphics, an awesome layout and the information it contains is biblically accurate and accessible for kids. I will be purchasing some copies and checking out the rest of the series!

Kingdom Files: Who Was Jonah? recounts the entire book of Jonah for young readers. The style of the book is that of detective files and clues. This style makes it fun for young readers. My favorite part of this book is that the second half of the book walks the reader through some thoughts to consider from Jonah’s story and how it applies to their own life. These application sections also contain Bible memory verses. The references are in the NIV, but the Scripture reference makes it easy to cross-reference the verse. Sketches depicting the story also help to keep the excitement alive in this book. It is good for all children, but especially those reading early chapter books.

I received an advance reading copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

I have never seen such a unique approach to teaching children about Bible characters! Part research guide, part adventure, part detective, part Bible study, and more.

This is a fantastic book for the curious learner in your life. It's put together in a fun format which makes it engaging for children and teaches them a lot. My 7-year-old has always loved the story of Jonah and the Whale and he really loved this approach.

It reads like an adventure book with great spots for personal reflection and connecting to God too. I think this would be a fun first book club book for children, a family Bible study, or even a book for a homeschool co-op to use. Can't wait to see what other books in this series Matt Koceich puts out!

#KingdomFiles:WhoWasJonah is an excellent read. I was thankful to NetGalley for providing me with an electronic version of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

A fun and dramatic new way of re-telling the story of Jonah, the guy who chooses to do his own thing rather than do what he was told, he was being totally disobedient and got his due for such an act. The author brought the story to life, with an intensely dramatic, fun and captivating storyline. An awe-inspiring tale told with much finesse.

A nice in-depth look at the story of Jonah for kids. Where many stories end at Nineveh's repentance, this book goes straight to Jonah's angry response and how God's own response to Jonah.

I enjoyed the format of the book... file folders, paper clips, and all. The story illustrations are sprinkled through-out and nicely add to the text. The final section of the book gives us the take-away from the story. This would make a good bible study for older children. I'd say it's appropriate for ages 8-12.

This was a really cool concept for kids to learn about Jonah! Definitely something I could see myself using with my daughter when she gets older. It will help her think more critically about what she reads and hopefully gain a better understanding of these real people we read about in the Bible. Thankful for books like these!

We are picking up where I left off with the new Kingdom Files series. I reviewed another installment 'Who is Jesus' back in August. I'll share a few of the same things, specific to the book layout but I'll also share my thoughts on the exploration of the life of Jonah. I still feel like these would be an amazing addition to any library to truly help key people of the Bible come to life for young readers and less like 'characters' in a book. If that makes sense to anyone but me. Laid out in three distinct sections, each helps to bring the reader to truth from the Bible about each person. Fact File that gives relevant information about the person. Action File which gives Biblical truth about that person, including why they are important to our history and our faith. And Power File that provides additional Biblical stories, lessons and memory verses.

I really enjoyed the Fact File section on the life of Jonah. Staying true to the Biblical account there was so much more information provided. Obviously a lot of research went into truly helping the reader to understand why the things that happened were important to the culture of the time as well as a bigger picture than just 'do what you are told'. I shared the broader idea that Jonah not only grew from his adventure, the people of Nineveh were still brought into rightness, but God was also able to take advantage of Jonah's disobedience to speak to the people on the ship he tried to escape on as well. Not on is God the king of second chances but he also has the ability to take our foibles and use them to his (and our) benefit. The only thing that I was really distracted by was the repetition. And I mean 'repetition'. However, as an adult reader who found it annoying I am also acutely aware that repetition is a key to helping children learn and retain information. Sooo, I guess I can't complain too loudly.

I am still enamored with the idea and execution of the Power File. Additional resources, versus, and relevant commentary to accompany the exploration into the life that Jonah lived. Remember just a sentence or two before when I slightly whined about repetition. Well, this falls into that category. It is ten opportunities to dig deeper and truly helping a young reader retain and better understand the important things that we can take away from the life of Jonah. It is also set up in such a way to be used as a daily devotional opportunity. The younger a child is when they develop these habits the more likely they are to rely on and use them as adults. Daily devotionals are key to truly having a meaningful relationship with The Father.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

I really enjoyed the format of this particular title and think it would definitely be improved by a print topic. Will be passing this title on to some of the school teachers and school librarians I know as a possible title of interest for their collections.