The Dragon and The Raven
The kids and I were so excited to be a part of this review from Heirloom Audio Productions and get to listen to their newest audio drama called The Dragon and The Raven. Are you ready for another adventure from G.A. Henty? Join me now as I share all about this amazing CD about King Alfred The Great, the Saxons, and the Danes.
This review is for the physical CD of the story. Along with the CD you can also purchase the family pack, which includes the eBook of the story, the Study Guide, beautiful images, and the mp3 for download.
The Story
As with each adventure from Heirloom Audio Productions, we begin with G.A. Henty talking to the two boys, Ned and Gerald. This time they are talking about the ships in the local shipyard. Which leads into the story of a young man named Edmund and of King Alfred The Great.
The impossibly true story that tells of a time when the Saxons were trying to defend their land against the Danes (Danish Vikings from the North) in Wessex, England. After many fierce battles Edmund is finally old enough to join in the fighting. He ends up traveling with his friend into the city and meets up with young Alfred, the next in line to the throne.
Another battle ensues and Alfred’s brother, the king, is injured then dies shortly thereafter. Due to this, Alfred is now king and is determined to fight the Danes at every turn. But King Alfred is not like his brother and he approaches the Danes with a different outlook. After completing their new longboats, one specifically named The Dragon, they take the battle to the Danes instead of waiting for the Danes to attack them.
King Alfred believes that the warriors are like the body of Christ and based are on 1 Corinthians 13 – LOVE. “That the stronger our commitment to God, the stronger our bodies are in battle.”
Edmund begins training the men to work as a team, or rather, as one body.
After many battles, the Danish King, Guthrum concedes and promises to be baptized as Christian, along with 29 of his men. This promise holds true and with much celebration the Saxons and the Danes finally find peace in Wessex.
The Study Guide
This is always such a wonderful addition to the audio. It is full of goodness and I so enjoy using this study guide in the house while we are listening to the CD. There are a few different sections in the study guide that I want to share.
- Listening Well – this section is full of questions to ask your student(s) to see if they are truly listening to the story. It is broken into sections so that the questions being asked pertain to the recent section that was being listened to.
- Thinking Further – this section is designed to get your student(s) to dig deeper into the story and find a deeper meaning. This is great for extra discussion, especially for older students. It also only pertains to the most recent section that was being listened to.
- Defining Words – this is section that has vocabulary words listed from the most recent section. This is beneficial for more than just listening skills.
There is some added information about King Alfred in the study guide that gives a closer look into his life. I loved the quote that was shared in the study guide that was from the audio:
“Our faith in God is the fire in this dragon . . . faith is knowing Him, obeying Him, trusting Him when all looks impossible. A dragon without its fire is like a nation without its faith. Our faith is the very source of our strength, our identity as a nation.” King Alfred The Great (The Dragon and The Raven)
At the back of the study guide there are the Bible Study sections. These are my favorites with the Heirloom Audio Productions.
- Bible Study I – God’s Laws and the Nations
- Bible Study II – Love Your Enemy
- Bible Study III – Literacy
Each of the points above were incredibly important to King Alfred and how he wanted his nation to prosper. These Bible studies dig deeper into each area of interest and are viewed from how God sees them. It is an incredible resource that comes with the study guide and by far one of my favorite extras.
How We Used This Product
With so much goodness in this product it is so very easy to make sure that you use every piece of it! The kids and I devoured the CD as soon as it come in the mail! The adventure is one that I will not soon forget. There are battles, friendships to witness, love that blooms.
The study guide is one of the resources that I love to use. It really helps break down some of the larger words that Joseph (and sometimes Ana) may not know. I love how the CD has the sections broken down so that you can pause it and use the study guide without losing your place or skipping the section that you thought you were going to talk about.
We listened in the truck as we were out and about doing errands one day, which is always so much fun. Then later in the week, we went back over the CD with the study guide in hand so that I could cover all of the questions and answers better than I had while we were in the truck. – Note to self: it is easier to do this with my hubby so that he can drive and I can use the guide while we listen to it the first time.
Overall, The Dragon and The Raven is another fantastic audio drama from Heirloom Audio Productions and as always, we loved it! We enjoyed getting to know Edmund and King Alfred, and of course the brave and beautiful Freya.
We are looking forward to the next CD that is already in production, so stay tuned, we might be sharing about that one soon!
Are you curious to see how my fellow Crew members used this product and what they thought?
Social Media
Heirloom Audio Productions Social Media Sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomAudio
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeirloomStories
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HeirloomAudioOfficial/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/114534826166314080647/114534826166314080647/posts
The Dragon and The Raven product specific facebook page:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDragonAndTheRaven
The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty specific facebook page:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheExtraordinaryAdventuresOfGAHenty
I hope that you enjoyed this review and please visit again soon to see what the kids and I are planning next!
In His Grace.
Callie
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