Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers eBook Review

I love living literature books and that is just what Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers is. This 242 page eBook is written by Douglas Bond and published by Christian Liberty Press.

A moms review:
This book is so much more than just a wonderfully written historical fiction story. It is a unit study/lesson on history and music. It's a great devotional teaching children about sin, salvation, service, Christs love and value of worship and praise. And a great character study teaching valuable lessons on patience and perseverance. There are various scriptures located throughout the book as well. Children will learn about Britain’s religious, political, and cultural history. As well as Christian hymns and writers throughout various time periods.

The book is recommended for children in 7th - 10th grade. If you read my blog then you know I have two young ones currently in Kindergarten and First. So why did I sign up to review a book geared for much older children well its simple I misread the information and thought it said age 7 not grade 7 (darn that mommy brain and dyslexia). But I am glad we reviewed it because it CAN certainly be tailored for younger children who enjoy being read to. The chapters are very long and my two little ones had trouble sitting through them so we had to break each chapter in half. We are still working our way through the book because well its longer than most chapter books we read and because my children have been FULL of questions throughout so we have to keep stopping to discuss certain things more in depth. I have been very proud of the questions they are coming up with and they are on target with the book. They have asked questions like: What is an organ? What does the Tallis Cannon sound like? Where is the Olney located? Etc. So I used my trusty search engine and found some additional resources to utilize along with the book. This book is great for both boys and girls and definitely children of all ages.

We read the eBook in pdf format using either my laptop or Android phone. The quality was great on both the text and illustrations.

About The Book:Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers is the first book in the series and tells the story of a Annie and Drew (a brother and sister) who befriend an elderly English gentlemen named Mr. Pipes, while on vacation in Olney, England. Throughout the book they explore England and learn about nine famous British hymn writers. They visit homes, churches and burial places and take lots of fun adventures on a boat named the Toplady. Needless to say t heir boring summer turns out to be one of the best summer vacations ever. At the end of each chapter you will find sheet music for hymn written by the discussed hymn writer (this would be great for children who play a musical instrument).

The nine specific hymn writers discussed are:
-Thomas Ken (1600's-1700's)
-Isaac Watts (1600's-1700's)
-Charles Wesley (1700's)
-William Williams (1700's) 
-John Newton (1700's-1800's)
-William Cowper (1700's-1800's)
-Augustus Toplady (1700's) and Thomas Kelly (1700's-1800's)
-John Bunyan (1600's)

Scottish, Anglican and Women hymn writers are discussed as well. In the back of the book the author lists many other British Hymn writers as well as recommended resources for further learning. I can already tell you my daughter will love the chapter about women hymn writers.

I loved the very descriptive writing style, it made you feel like you were in England alongside the children and Mr. Pipes. My children also really enjoyed the illustrations that are spaced throughout the book. They are black and white sketch illustrations with lots of great detail. I also like that there are footnotes included several times throughout to assist in clarifying some of the terminology.

*Please note since we are only about half way through the book I skim read ahead to complete this review. We will definitely keep chugging along though to finish this book which is teaching an important part of history in an interesting and enjoyable format.  

Additional Resources:
-Tallis Canon YouTube Video
-Pipe Organ behind the scenes YouTube Video
-Pipe Organ playing a hymn to the tune of Tallis Canon YouTube Video
-Olney England YouTube Videos
-Guide Me Oh Great Jehovah YouTube Video
-Hark the Herald Angels Sing YouTube Video

Gwyns review (6 yrs old):

I like Annie and her hair. She is my favorite character. I like all the music that they are learning about it sounds really pretty when mommy let us listen to it on her computer. I thought the organ was really cool too. 

Often when I am reading a chapter book the kids will draw pictures to go along with what I am reading. Here is one of Gwyns pictures which goes along with the 1st chapter.

Annie standing outside of the bakery in England.

Links to follow:

-Christian Liberty Website
-Christian Liberty Facebook page 
-Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers SAMPLE (first 30 pgs)

Where to buy:
The downloadable eBook can be purchased directly off of Christian Liberty. The retail price is $10.99 but it is currently on sale for $8.79. 

Click here for more Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Maker reviews from the The Schoolhouse Review Crew.

*Disclaimer - As part of the TOS Review Crew I received an eBook copy of Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers in return for my honest review. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. I was not compensated for my review and all opinions are our own! Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.