Review~ Wulf the Saxon from Heirloom Audio Productions

Today, I get to share with you our first review of the year for the Homeschool Crew Review.  So what was our product?   Wulf the Saxon from Heirloom Audio Productions. This is the third audio story we have reviewed for them. So are you ready to hear more about Wulf the Saxon? Heirloom Audio Productions is a Christian company that is focused on bring history to life! Sadly in the majority of most history books, the Christian faith has been left out or completely erased. The Heirloom Audio crew work together to bring the story of these Christian heroes to life. They travel around the globe visiting the actual places Christian heroes lived, worked and died. They are living the adventure. Wouldn't it be fun to travel the world to visit all the places we read about in our history books? I know the kids and I would love to visit the countries of the saints we read about daily. For this review, we received a physical copy of the 2 disc CD Wulf the Saxon. The 2 disc set contains over two hours of storytelling. The story is designed for the entire family. They say it is geared for listeners between the ages of 6-16, but listeners of all ages will enjoy this exciting adventure. Children as young as 6 can easily sit down with the entire family as they listen to this extraordinary tale! Listeners will recognize the voices from previous audio books, movies, and television shows. Brian Blessed (G.A. Henty), Chris Larkin (King Harold Godwinson), and Helen George ((Edith) are just a few of the actors that worked on this adventurous tale. So what is this tale about?  Without giving away too much of the story, here are few details to get you eager to read this fast-paced adventure! First off, if your child loves tales of battles, conquests, faraway places, and castles they will love this story from G.A. Henty. I think boys especially will love this adventurous tale. Wulf the Saxon by G.A. Henty is a tale that takes place a long time ago. The year is 1065 and we are taken back to England.  The story takes place around the time of the Battle of Hastings! This is an important battle from history. Edward the Confessor is the King of England, but upon his death a battle for the throne begins. Wulf the Saxon, is the main fictional character. He's mixed in with other fictional and non-fictional character to tell this tale. Wulf is a thane (the title of a landowner in Anglo-Saxon England). Wulf the Saxon earns the respect of all those he serves. He becomes quickly respected for his devotion to duty, his courage, loyalty, and his honor. Wulf the Saxon becomes the loyal page of King Harold of Wessex. He experiences many heroic adventures during this tale....being shipwrecked, the Welsh Wars, assassination attempts, an invasion from the North, and finally the Norman invasion. When William of Normandy invades Hastings, Wulf the Saxon heroically stands by his King. On the Battlefield near Hastings, the course of history is forever changed.  What happens to Wulf the Saxon?  Does he die? What happens to King Harold?  What happens to England?  If you want to know, you'll just have to order the audio book and listen with the kids!

Just a little FYI...for my fellow Catholic homeschoolers I didn't find anything questionable about this book. Since it's set before the Reformation, the anti-Catholic bias sometimes found in G.A. Henty books was not really present. There was one line I noticed about how they were helped by the Protestants. Nothing offensive, but the line was there. 

We loved the variety of characters. The actors bring the story to life. The tale is enhanced with music and sound effects. What little boy wouldn't want to hear the clang of swords while listening to a story?

Why Do We Like Books on Audio? First off, it adds a different dimension to our schooling. We are a living books homeschooling family. My kids read a lot of books for history, science, and English. Sometimes we have too many books to read and just not enough to time to get them all in.  So what can we do?  We can listen to great stories in the car as we head to co-op class, run errands, or head on a trip. This helps us pass the time in the car and it allows us to get in all the books we need to. It's a win-win situation. I like how we can listen all together and then discuss the story. My kids like it because then they don't have one more book to read. They usually are reading 2-4 books at a time as it is. Two or three books for school and then they usually add one or two books of their own choice to read. I love that I have children that LOVE to read!

Heirloom Audio offers families other great books to listen to. Readers (or listeners in this case) can learn about William Wallace, Robert E. Lee, King Alfred of Wessex, Beric and the Romans, and so much more. Theses amazing stories truly bring history to life. We've been lucky enough to review some of them. In Freedom's Cause With Lee in Virginia Heirloom Audio now offers followers a new adventure. You can now sign up for their newsletter and visit their new Live the Adventure website. This new adventure club offers parents and children news, articles, projects, and lessons to help bring history to life. For example, parents can head on over and download a word search puzzle to go along with Wulf the Saxon. You can even find directions for baking a Medieval apple pie! Want to learn more about this adventure? Check them out on Social Media..... Website Live the Adventure Website Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google+ YouTube Instagram Just click below to read some more fantastic reviews about Wulf the Saxon. Till Next Time, Monique