Heirloom Audio Productions - Wulf the Saxon Audio Review

Do you like adventure and action when studying "boring" history?  We had the opportunity to review the newest historical audio drama, Wulf the Saxon by G.A. Henty ( 2 CD set - $24.97) from Heirloom Audio Productions.  No more "boring" history here.

Designed to bring history alive to your children, Wulf the Saxon can be enjoyed by every member of the family.  Either sitting in your living room or driving down the road, you are taken back in time to England to the land of knights and kings.  The Normans and Saxons.  Constant upheavel in the rulership of England.  There are dukes and earls.  

The story starts out with a young Wulf learning a hard lesson in humility.  He is forced into realizing the importance of friendship.  But he quickly earns back the respect from those people that had originally disciplined him.

As he emerges in society, he is caught in a shipwreck with many men that he knows.  They are taken captive by the Normans.  Just when things started to look better, the plot twists and the men are left guessing about their future.

The story of Wulf the Saxon takes you and your family on an exciting rollercoaster adventure.  Wulf the Saxon (as with all of Heirloom Audio Productions) is told from a Christian point of view.  Even though they are depicting violent situations that have occurred, they not only preserve historical accuracy, they make sure the entire family can enjoy the story.

We love Heirloom Audio Productions due to their differences in presentation.  Wulf the Saxon is not just an audio book.  Those can get boring as you listen to the same voice reading all the different parts with only a slight variation in their tones.  Wulf the Saxon is an audio drama or theater presentation.  Music is playing in the background, voices raise and lower depending on the part that is being read.  Actors are cast based on their voice tones to really bring that character to life.  

You are being totally immersed in the story and can feel like it is happening all around you.  This is such an inventive way to listen to audio stories.  It brings to mind the old radio dramas that families would listen to, prior to having television sets in their homes.  Even when the kids start to roll their eyes at the thought of a historical fiction story, their attitudes change as the audio drama emerges with twists and turns and Screams along with demanding voices bellow from the stereo speakers.  They are suddenly begging to listen for a few more minutes, because we cannot possibly go into the store yet.  We have to hear what is about to happen!!

Heirloom Audio Productions also offers The Live Adventure Club Online.  I encourage you to check out this awesome resource.  Included are study guides for each of the Heirloom Audio Productions...and there are several from all time periods of history....as well as downloadable textbooks books to study history.  These are the classic history books, not the fluff that is being taught today.  There are also several historical radio programs that you can listen too.  You can easily purchase other Heirloom Audio Production Titles inside of The Live Adventure Club Online and listen/download them to your computer.

You can also follow The Live Adventure Club Online blog and the writers share information about new movies in theaters, and many other important topics in our society.

We have been very grateful for the opportunity to review Wulf the Saxon from Heirloom Audio Productions.  We literally have just finished reading about this time period in our history curriculum.  It brought to life what it was like to live in this time period to the kids.  I encourage you to check out Wulf the Saxon for your family, or any of the other audio drama productions from Heirloom Audio Productions.

Several members of the Homeschool Review Crew were given the opportunity to review Wulf the Saxon from Heirloom Audio Productions.  To see how they used this in their homes, click on the link below to read their thoughts and feelings.

Strong Learning, Inc. - Bessie's Pillow Review

A few years ago we had the opportunity to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Lydia has always been drawn to that time period in history.  We were excited to get the opportunity to review Bessie's Pillow by Linda Bress Silbert from Strong Learning, Inc.  

Bessie's Pillow (Printed - $15.00) is the story of the young immigrant girl in the early 1900s.  This is the story of 18 year-old Boshka Markman who is preparing to leave her country of Lithuania and head to America.   She is one of hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants who are leaving Europe to escape persecution because of the dangers so many were facing.  

Written by her granddaughter, Linda Bress Silbert, it's not just a story about a pillow.  Bessie is traveling alone, and a friend asks her to deliver a pillow to her son who had already moved to America.  He had forgotten the pillow a year earlier when he moved, and his mother wanted to make sure that he had it.  Her friend tells her that she is welcome to use the pillow along the way.  

The pillow turns out to be a huge blessing, just as the words that were embroidered on it expressed.  Bessie faces struggles in the new world she was not expecting.  She finds more strength than she even realizes she has.

She overcomes many trials.  But she knows that she must find the rightful owner of the pillow.   As she is thinking this, she has no idea where searching for him will take her, including love and marriage.

But this isn't just about a pillow.  It brings early twentieth century American to life.  You are looking at the world through this young woman's frightened eyes.  It really brings to light how much we are all alike in America.

This story was very hard to put down.  It was written for late middle through high school.  So this was a story that I read on my own.  It was a bit above Lydia's level, but she'll be able to read this soon enough.

The author's website is very amazing.  When you visit, it helps to encourage more research into that time period. Links are provided to help immerse yourself into this time period.

Also included is a teachers guide that includes links for resources to continue exploration.  It gives suggestions on how to use this story in a wide variety of subject areas for different grade and study levels.

This is a wonderful story and a great addition to both history and literature studies.  It really opens the mind to the struggles that were faced both in Europe and in America at this time period.  And how people remained hopeful through the most tragic times. Definitely take time to read Bessie's story.  

Several members of the Homeschool Review Crew were given the opportunity to read Bessie's Pillow from Strong Learning, Inc.  Please take the time to click the link below to see how they enjoyed this story in their home and what resources they also found helpful.