(Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way).
The Publisher is YWAM Publishing. “YWAM” stands for “Youth with a Mission.”
Generally speaking, YWAM is an organization with a focus on missions, evangelism, and discipleship. Thus, their books are written primarily with this in mind. Since the person Daniel Boone did not to appear to be openly Christian, this book doesn't have strong Christian themes. However, it is clean, wholesome, and is written as a story, even though it is based on true history.
Needless to say, Daniel Boone was an interesting character, particularly as an adult. For example, once the introductory themes were passed (birth, childhood, etc.), and Daniel started his wilderness adventures, especially as they apply to his contact with the Indians (Native Americans), it became quite suspenseful.
The subject and title of the book is “Daniel Boone – Frontiersman.”
You have probably heard of the name Daniel Boone. However, you may not realize that Daniel Boone was a real person and not just a tall tale. I now understand where the idea of Daniel Boone being a “Tall Tale” came from. The reason why is because of the way the first published book about him was written.
On October 22, 1784, Daniel's 50th birthday, a book was published about his life thus far. The Title was, “The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke..To which is added An Appendix, Containing the Adventures of Col. Daniel Boon,” by John Filson. Apparently, though most of the facts in Filson's book were correct, it was written like an “epic myth.” So, people reading the book got the idea that Daniel Boone was the hero who had single-handedly opened up the west.
Obviously reality is often less exciting, though not always. It is true that Daniel Boone had his share of adventure. And it is also true that he was a strong leader and a courageous adventurer. But it is also sadly true that he experienced tremendous hardship and loss as did the settlers (and Indians) around him.
If you've read biographies and stories from 200 years ago, then you already know that people often died too soon.
Daniel and his wife lost all but one of their daughters, and at least two of their sons. Daniel also lost one of his brothers to Small Pox when he was still young. As a result, Daniel raised his nephew.
I've always been disturbed by the lackadaisical attitude that humans had towards animals in the Old West. And this book is no exception.
For example, at one point Daniel mentions that he killed 150 bears in one month for the bear grease. This was the way they survived, but I still find it unsettling. Daniel Boone also discusses the fact that some of his men couldn't resist the temptation to use buffalos for target practice. They would often kill a buffalo for only the tongue or rump and then leave the rest to rot. As a result of this disgusting behavior, after living in one location for a month, they often had to travel for days to find a buffalo.
Reading about this stuff makes me steaming mad.
However, true history is reality. So, like it or not, it's important to know it so that we can learn from it and hopefully not repeat it. This is why these books are so perfect for kids to read. They teach history in an interesting way, while sticking with the facts, whether good or bad.
YWAM Publishing provided us with supporting materials to go with our book as well. As a result,
I have also been giving my son assignments which came with the Daniel Boone book.
Below are a few examples of the work he did. My son is 14 and is on the Autism Spectrum. If you knew him, you would know that he is making great strides in his willingness to write down answers with an actual pencil. The final draft is neater and doesn't have the pictures. Daniel Boone also isn't all marked up.
Rough draft of one of my son's assignments.
Rough draft of timeline. Note that I added the letters to make it easier to write the facts. Though the letters worked really well because they take up less space. My son worked on this Timeline for about a week. He processes very slowly, but he finished! 😀
These are words he was required to look up. I took the words out of the unit study given to me with the book. The page numbers were provided as well. He has done all of the words except the last five and has the definitions written in another Word document.
This the main area where Daniel Boone lived (the white area). I added a couple of the states (pencil) for context. He used blue pen to add the letters in white.
A major highlight of the “Heroes of History” book series is the supplementary material available to complement the books. The supplementary materials provide the teacher and/or parent with numerous ideas to use with students. These materials can be used with homeschooling kids as well as with kids in a classroom.
Another really cool thing is that YWAM Publishing published these awesome “Heroes of History” books but didn't stop there. No!
YWAM Publishing has also published education resources, including outlines, suggestions, and curriculum to go with each of the books in the “Heroes of History” series.
Several style of full unit studies are provided. For example, homeschooling, classroom, and group overviews are provided. These are designed to be directive for any book in the series.
For example, “Using the Heroes of History” to teach US History, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Character Development. Pages of Tables are provided with theme ideas related to each individual book in the series.
These unit studies are excellent tools and will provide hours upon hours of assignment ideas.
In addition, I received a unit study focusing on Daniel Boone alone. This unit study includes numerous activities for every single chapter of the book. An excerpt will illustrate what to expect:
“It provides the schoolteacher and homeschooling parent with ways to use the book as a vehicle for teaching or reinforcing various
curriculum areas, including the following:
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- History
- Geography
- Essay writing
- Creative writing
- Reading comprehension
- Public speaking
- Drama
- Art”
So, in addition to reading excellent books, your children can study the YWAM Publishing “Heroes of History” books in historical context.
Also, these materials can be used to fulfill language arts curriculum requirements. Also, history, social studies, and character development.
Like I mentioned above, YWAM Publishing has an entire collection of 72 “Heroes of History” books besides Daniel Boone. For example, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harriet Tubman, Alan Shepherd, Ben Carson, Clara Barton, Louis Zamperini, and more!
YWAM Publishing also has another series titled, “Christian Heroes: Then and Now.” Thus, if you are interested in learning about famous Christians such as C.S. Lewis and Corrie Ten Boom, you need not look further.
And because these books are written for a younger audience, the stories are gentler, making them more appropriate for young kids. (Though it always a good idea to review a book before giving it to your child to read, especially if you have a sensitive child).
There are so many interesting “Heroes of History” books to choose from, I had a hard time choosing just one!
The reason I chose Daniel Boone is because I knew virtually nothing about him and because I thought my son would enjoy learning about him as well. I have a couple of YWAM Publishing books that I previously purchased before my son was born. I have been waiting for the right time for my son. After reading Daniel Boone, I am looking forward to reading the other two books we own. Since we now have the complementary unit studies, we'll be able to do more than just read, which is just SO COOL!
Make sure you visit YWAM Publishing website to see the selection of “Heroes of History” books.
To see what the rest of the Homeschool Review Crew thinks about the “Heroes of History” and “Christian Heroes: Then and Now” series, click the image below.
