Captain Sun to the Rescue! AKA How to Make bible Devotions FUN for Kids! (review)

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.  All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

Ah the daily devotional...If you're lucky you've found the right fit for your child, and they love reading a short page with an applicable bible verse and lesson. But what if you're not quite so lucky, and you still can't find the right fit?

You're in luck as The Captain Sun Adventures series of books, is a new way to capture kids' imaginations AND give them the same info from daily devotionals, but in a fun and GRAPHIC way that they can relate to! Did you know that a recent study has sown that Generation Z learns better from YOUTUBE than they do from books? Yup- they are officially a video based generation. Traditional texts no longer grab their attention-they need to be entertained in some way. And that is JUST what this new series of graphic, aka comic, superhero books does! There are 3 books in the series so far, and I'll be sharing more about book 1, Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith, in just a moment.

Each of the 3 books includes 8 bible lessons in each book, along with questions for them to think about, relating to the lessons. So if you get all 3 books, you have 24 bible lessons! At one a week, that's 6 months- think how your child won't dread bible lesson time, when they know there will be FUN super hero based questions!  Book 1 will be more familiar to kids, as it's based on classic comic book concepts that kids already know and deals with origin story and a team of heroes. Book 2,Captain Sun & the Army of Fear,  focuses on fear and book 3, Captain Sun & the Scourge of the Shadow Dragon, on the unseen world. All of these concepts and themes are ones that affect kids in the suggested age range of 8-12.

Miss Grace eagerly grabbed the book when it came in, as she's going through a comic book phase right now and she couldn't wait to read it. It only took about 10 minutes before I heard, "Mom, is this a bible book?" Sigh.....my mini reviewer caught on too quickly! "Yes, but read it anyways!", was my reply. But no need to worry about that, as when I walked around the corner, I caught her deep in reading it!

Being a typical kid, she had to read all of the storyline first. Answer questions? Pftttt. After 2 hours she came up for air, declared it done and was up for questioning. It probably wouldn't take most kids that long to read it, but with her dyslexia, she reads slowly still. As you can see the bright graphics really catch your child's attention and get them reading and turning pages. The newspaper pages are the actual lesson pages, and then the questions are stated as that.

When asked, Miss Grace said what she liked best about the book was that Captain Sun wasn't THE one and only superhero. He needed the help of his team, in order to defeat Black-Out (who she quickly realized was Satan), and that Captain's Sun's team of super heroes aren't like Superman, but more like Batman. That each has an unique talent, that's unbelievable, and when put together they are unstoppable, and when we all hold to our faith like that, that's how we defeat Satan". She also would have preferred all the questions to be after the storyline, but when I explained it was meant to be taken in installments, like a series, then it made more sense to her. I really think the questions need to be discussed as a family though, not handled as a quiz or similar. By asking and answering a dialogue can be started, that can help kids understand different scenarios and how their faith and family values play into that. And if there needs to be better understanding, it can be immediately provided.

Overall Miss Grace gave it a thumbs up, but said she though the age level is really more like 6-10, and that most 11-12 year olds she knew, would see it as an elementary book. I did agree with her on that, but it also depends on the child, and if you are using the book for multiple ages, then it's a good way to cover all those ages in that range. For more examples of that, check out what my fellow reviewers thought of the book! Just click the picture below for their links to their reviews of Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith:

Each book in this series is also available in ebook form, so kids can take it with them on the go, and in a format they know and love!

Be sure to follow The Captain Sun Adventures on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Youtube) , to see when the next book in the series is available, and to get more great ideas on using the books!