For instance, many cultures on earth have dragon legends, giant mythology, and flood stories.
Why is that?
Perhaps the history of legends can ultimately be traced back to a true account–a biblical account. Take flood stories from around the world. It’s quite possible that while flood stories are all a bit different, they are each a recounting of the story of the flood of Noah–a true event described in the Bible.
There’s a really fun way to help your kids trace a direct path from the true account of Scripture to legends and mythology in pagan cultures. After all, people who remove God from history remember what occurred. Over time, a story of a history without God changes factually, but the core story still surprisingly resembles the true account of the Bible.
That is the premise of the Legends and Lore series for upper elementary and middle school students from Master Books.
The History of Legends
…and the Bible
The Legends and Lore series from Master Books is an informative look at the history of legends and how they relate to the true stories told in the Bible.
These books are beautiful and interactive, and your older elementary and middle school kids will love them!
Written as non-fiction picture books, the series is appropriate for reading aloud with elementary students, or as an individual read for middle schoolers. I say this because the authors don’t hold back on their vocabulary or the information presented. Your kids will encounter words such as “transgression”, “proportionally”, “precipitated”, and “subsequently.”
These are meaty books–yet engaging and readable–in a series with plenty of scientific and historical information included.
Flood Stories around the World …and the Flood of the Noah
The Flood of Noah: Legends and Lore of Survival by Bodie Hodge and Laura Welch’s newest book discusses the prevalent existence of global flood legends across the globe.
The authors present similarities and differences between the flood stories told by native people groups across the world including theological points, and names of Noah and his wife. They discuss the scientific possibilities of a global flood and a large ship to hold animals, and the historic evidence in favor of the actual existence of the ark. Did you know that the Assyrian king Sennacherib reportedly saw the ark and brought home a piece of the wood? I had no idea.
The last half of the book is devoted to sharing the flood legends of individual cultures. The stories are re-written and condensed (I imagine), yet it was delightful to read them.
Dragon Legends and Mythology
Dragons: Legends & Lore of Dinosaurs by Laura Welch equates the dinosaurs (animals of land, sea, and air from the Creation story) of the Bible to the dragon legends and mythology that is so prevalent across the globe.
The interesting thing about dragon legends and mythology is that dragons are discussed in nearly every culture. The idea that there is no basis to these stories is a little strange. We don’t treat other history the way we treat these legends. It makes sense that dragons are actually creatures known to scientists and historians by another name. We have, after all, fossils and even DNA of dinosaurs available to us all over the world. My kids and I have even rubbed a fossilized dinosaur bone that is partially buried in a hill in Colorado. It makes sense that dragons are, in fact, dinosaurs by another name.
Of all the books in the Legends and Lore series from Master Books, my boys may have loved this one the best!
Stories of Giants
Giants: Legends & Lore of Goliaths by Charles Martin recounts the history of giants in the Bible and the stories of giants worldwide.
The parallels between the biblical accounts of giants and the global mythical stories of giants is fascinating. My favorite part of the book is near the end where the author discusses the actual medical condition, gigantism (also called giantism) and shows several real-life giants from history in relationship to a basketball hoop.
Often the historic accounts in Scripture can seem isolated and mythical to our kids. I love that this book (and this series) points out modern-day occurrences of unusual events and circumstances (though miracles, of course, like the flood of Noah, are events that don’t have modern-day parallels). I love, too, that the book helps kids understand that the Bible is the source material for the history that is skewed in pagan retellings.
Legends and Lore Series from Master Books
One of my favorite aspects of the Legends and Lore series from Master Books (and certainly something my boys appreciated) is the quality with which the books are made.
The pages are thick and full-color with gorgeous, contemporary illustrations by Bill Looney. There is something fun and interactive to do on each two-page spread, such as mini-books (which are packed with real information), fold-out pages, and pop-ups and pull-outs. My boys loved them!
My favorite mini-book in The Flood of Noah was the Atlas of Ancient Maps of Noah’s Ark. It’s a 15-page booklet of full-color maps from the 13th to the 17th centuries showing the remains of Noah’s Ark in relation to Jerusalem. Fascinating!
I highly recommend the Legends and Lore series from Master Books. The books are beautiful, takes the Bible seriously, and involves serious scholarship presented to students in an engaging manner.Dragons: Legends & Lore of Dinosaurs
Giants: Legends & Lore of GoliathsFlood of Noah, The
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