Heirloom Audio Productions Captain Bayley's Heir Review

My family had the privilege of listening to the Captain Bayley's Heir from Heirloom Audio Productions for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

My family and I love audio books! We love to listen to them while: I am multitasking, we have a long drive ahead of us, or there is cruddy weather and we are stuck inside. My family usually enjoys them better if they are fun and adventuresome. I believe they are better than movies because audio books require more imagination which is great for growing minds.

Captain Bayley's Heir is Heirloom Audio's 8th dramatization which is adapted from a novel by George Alfred Henty. G.A. Henty authored many historical fiction novels in the late 1800's and early 1900's, including Captain Bayley's Heir in 1889. All seven Christian audio dramas are from Heirloom Audio's series known as The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty. This audio production and theatrical radio drama consists of 2 and a half hours of masterful storytelling on 2 CDs recommended for ages 6-adult. I cannot say enough good things about this. Really, the presentation is very extraordinary! It brings the history to life.

This audio theater follows 18 year old Frank as he is wrongly accused of a crime in England and goes to America to try to clear his name. While on his way to discover gold in California, he experiences a deadly storm on the Mississippi, makes friends with story-telling cowboys, and encounters Indians and gun toting outlaws. This exciting and adventurous tale of the Old West is all about the power of God's grace.

inside the case to Captain Bayley's Heir audio theater

I had some definite favorite parts of the Christian radio theatre. We liked the part of where Frank met up with Rube, Dickens and Abe and what they said about the coffee. My family laughed at this part. We thought that the "Burps" from Dickens were profound. We loved finding out about Harry and who he really was as well.

The 2 CD audio theater set itself has some nice bonuses if you get the physical version with the download. It has a list of the cast on the back of the case, a pamphlet insert that has a bit about Heirloom Audio's other audio dramas, and in the center under where the pamphlet goes is the line from John Newton's timeless hymn, Amazing Grace, “Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound...”. This inspirational hymn also comes as a digital download (only with purchase of the Live the Adventure Club) so you can print it out as a poster to put on your wall.

Captain Bayley's Heir Single Package includes:

• Captain Bayley's Heir (CD Set - Physical Copy + Instant Access MP3 Download)

Adventure Progress

• Chapter 1 – A Grand, American Adventure
• Chapter 2 – Our Story Begins in London
• Chapter 3 – Captain Harold Bayley
• Chapter 4 – The Westminster Boys
• Chapter 5 – A Real Fight
• Chapter 6 – Harry's History
• Chapter 7 – Dismissal
• Chapter 8 – America!
• Chapter 9 – Abe, Rube, and Dickens
• Chapter 10 – Danger on the Trail
• Chapter 11 – Indian Attack
• Chapter 12 – Disquieting News
• Chapter 13 – The Plot Thickens
• Chapter 14 – Prospecting
• Chapter 15 – "Pay Dirt, Gentlemen!"
• Chapter 16 – Amazing Grace
• Chapter 17 – The Shootout
• Chapter 18 – Frank, The Hero
• Chapter 19 – Investigation and Exoneration
• Chapter 20 – More Stories to Be Told, More Adventures to be Had

I want to also mention that Heirloom Audio was being generous to the Homeschool Review Crew that received this for review. We received additional bonuses other than that were supposed to be in the Single Package. The additional items are only available if you purchase the Live the Adventure Club. Right now you can get a FREE 3 Months Membership + Captain Bayley's Heir - 2-CD Set for only $1!! Go to the website for more details.

The Homeschool Review Crew that received this for review received all of the above and these additional bonuses:

• Captain Bayley's Heir (Listen Online, Digital Download)
• Captain Bayley's Heir Study Guide (Read Online, Digital Download)
• Captain Bayley's Heir Soundtrack (Listen Online, MP3 Download)
• Printable copy of the Inspirational Hymn Poster (Digital Download)
• Captain Bayley's Heir eBook (Digital Download)
• Captain Bayley's Heir Cast Poster (Digital Download)
• Captain Bayley's Heir Desktop Wallpaper (Digital Download)

The all-star cast in this audio book is expansive and amazing. Some of the cast consists of Brian Blessed as G.A. Henty (Star Wars, Tarzan, Robin Hood, King Lear), John Rhys-Davies as Captain Bayley (The Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones), Jade Williams as Alice (The Royal Shakespeare Company), Ian Porter as Rube, Dickens, and John Little (Saving Private Ryan), Flinty Williams as Ella (The Importance of Being Earnest), and David Shaw-Parker as Hiram Bosarge (The Muppet Christmas Carol). It is always great to hear the boisterous voice of Brian Blessed on these productions. All of the cast's performances are wonderful! The character building is wonderful too as long as you can keep up.

I love the music and sound effects that accompany this program. The music that is used on the CDs is adventurous and is also by itself in soundtrack form as Listen Online and MP3 downloads. It is an original score by Emmy-winning composer John Campbell (of Narnia). The Foley sound effects make you feel like you are right there with the characters and immerses you more into what's happening.

There is also a study guide that is 38 pages long. It has discussion points and questions to ask your children as they listen to the radio theater. This is wonderful to use as part of a history curriculum while homeschooling. It is really easier to listen to the whole program before you do the study guide and then listen again a second time to do the study guide, in my opinion. It feels awkward to stop and start the program so many times (every 4 to 10 minutes) during play. The study guide does have the tracks and time-stamp to stop at marked in the guide so you know where the narrative takes a new turn.

At the beginning of the study guide there is a list of the cast and crew, a brief introduction, and a short descriptions about G.A. Henty. Each track has questions in the study guide having three parts: Listening Well, Thinking Further, and Defining Words. There are questions in the Listening Well section which are to see if you and your child are really paying attention. There are questions in the Thinking Further section that helps you understand deeper and get you and your child thinking more. The Defining Words section is a list of words that will enhance the vocabulary of your child and places more meaning for the story. Having a dictionary handy might be appropriate because the definitions are not already spelled out.

At the end of the study guide there are four main parts. The first is a recommended reading list for learning more about Victorian England and the American West. After that there are three Bible Studies: one on God's Grace, one on Becoming a Christian, and one on Honoring Your Parents.

My children learned and understood so much more with this study guide. We used the questions and Bible study section throughout and it made for a very lengthy, but interesting discussion session with my older kids. I am very glad that it was included. I love the scriptures it had you look up and ponder too. I also love that there were Expand Your Learning sections throughout the guide for sources for further reading and other information to further your knowledge. I do wish, however, that there was an answer guide as well to the questions, because it would make the whole thing flow better in my opinion.

This was a very good production and my family enjoyed listening to it thoroughly. This audio book would be a wonderful addition to a Christian homeschooling curriculum and perfect to go along with a study about the Wild West and the Gold Rush. 

This will include access to the Live the Adventure Club website, where you can download the study guide, among other things.

BUY IT
Two options to choose from: MP3 Download version for $19.97 or the Single Version for $29.97.

You can also purchase the Live the Adventure Club in which you get access to listen & learn audio adventures, parenting resources and daily inspiration, teaching guides and educational treasures, award winning audio adventures shipped to you free, and great learning activities for kids. Get a FREE 3 Months Membership + Captain Bayley's Heir - 2-CD Set for only $1 and get instant access to the digital version! Plus, you'll also receive $20 worth of Adventure Credits to use in their new online store!!!

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomAudio Tag:   @HeirloomAudio
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Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Heirloom Audio Productions Captain Bayley's Heir...

Carole P. Roman Books Review

We got to read these books from Carole P. Roman for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

The four books we received are:

• If You Were Me and Lived in...Egypt (A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World)
• If You Were Me and Lived in... the American West (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time)
• The Crew Goes Coconuts! (A Captain No Beard Story) (Volume 6)
• Oh Susannah: It's in the Bag (An Oh Susannah Story) (Book 1)

Carole P. Roman is the author of many books including the Captain No Beard series, Oh Susannah series, If You Were Me and Lived in... Cultures Around the World series, and the If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History series. She loves combining her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the grand world all around us. She also loves sharing history and culture with her readers.

If You Were Me and Lived in... Cultures Around the World Series currently consists of 21 books with more to come later. These softcover books take you to explore different cultures. Discover Mexico, Australia, Turkey, Hungary, Poland, France, India, Portugal, Scotland, Italy, South Korea, Peru, Kenya, China, Russia, Norway, Greece, Egypt, Brazil, Israel, and Germany. These give you an inside look into what culture is like in these countries. You can become a "world traveler" in the comfort of your own home. Recommended for ages 4 to 9.

If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History Series currently consists of 10 books with more to come later. These softcover books take you back through time to visit different civilizations throughout history. Discover Ancient Greece, Renaissance Italy, Elizabethan England, Colonial America, Ancient China: The Han Dynasty, Middle Ages, American West, Viking Europe, Mayan Empire, and Ancient Mali Empire. These follow what it would have been like to live and grow up in these places through the eyes of a young person. This makes the books more relatable to children who read them. These physical books cover occupations, food, clothing, recreation, important people, etc. Recommended for ages 8 to 15.

The Captain No Beard Series currently consists of 10 books with more to come later. These softcover books are about two young cousins, Hallie and Alexander, and their imaginative, swashbuckling adventures that bring their stuffed animals to life as part of the crew of a pirate ship.
These books always have a great message at the end of the story. Recommended for ages 3 to 8.

The Captain No Beard books are as follows:

1. Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life
2. Pepper Parrot's Problem with Patience
3. Stuck in the Doldrums: A Lesson in Sharing
4. Strangers on the High Seas
5. The Treasure of Snake Island
6. The Crew Goes Coconuts!
7. Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis
8. Fribbet the Frog and the Tadpoles
9. A Flag for the Flying Dragon
10. Being a Captain is Hard Work

The Oh Susannah Series currently consists of 2 books with more to come later. These early chapter reader books are softcover and are all about a little girl by the name of Susannah Maya Logan. In these chapter books Susannah goes through issues that every child can relate to. The first book in the series is Oh Susannah: It's in the Bag and the second book in the series is Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump. These also end with a great message as well. Recommended for ages 7-12.

Zari and Teela enjoying the Carole P. Roman books.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
We had been given the option of picking out two books from the ones we were offered to review and then the author would pick out two more from her past knowledge of what we had reviewed from her in the past and the information we gave her about our kids' ages.

I received only one of my picks, If You Were Me and Lived in...Egypt. I initially asked for Egypt and Australia. I was fine with the other books she picked for me though because I didn't have any of them yet. I didn't think at first that The Crew Goes Coconuts! book, part 6 of the Captain No Beard series, was going to be a good fit because I didn't have any of the rest of the series, but it turned out fine. In reading these books to my children I have grown to love Carole P. Roman's writing even more. I was very grateful for the author's painstaking task in preparing different bundles of books for each of the Homeschool Review Crew members that were reviewing and I want to thank her for all her hard work.

If You Were Me and Lived In...Egypt is a softcover book by Carole P. Roman and Illustrated by Kelsea Wierenga. The illustrations are fun and done in dark classic colors. This book has 36 pages with a pronunciation guide in the back. We learned about what the country looks like and a bit about it, about its capital, what the popular names for boys and girls there are, what you would call your mom and dad & grandfather and grandmother there, what money is called, what a favorite treat there is, places to see there, about a sailboat, what food they enjoy there, what sports they enjoy watching, what they like to read about, toys and games they might like to play, and holidays they celebrate. I would love to try the food there, especially the halawa and Kushari. I would love to see the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx and ride on a felucca. We are going to be using this with our unit study of Egypt.

If You Were Me and Lived In...The American West is a softcover book by Carole P. Roman and Illustrated by Paula Tabor. These cartoon like illustrations are more realistic than the other books. This book has 58 pages with a special section on Famous People from the West and Glossary in the back. This focused on life on the Oregon Trail in the 19th century. We thought it interesting: that you could make butter with all the movement of the wagon so you wouldn't have to churn it, that pioneers walked 10-20 miles per day, Indians were mostly friendly with the pioneers to trade, wagons were nicknamed Prairie Schooners, they floated their wagons across the Columbia River (which is neat since this river is right next to where I live in Oregon), and they got 640 acres of free land to farm once they got to Oregon. This would be great to use with a unit study of the Oregon Trail, Pioneers, American West and Wagon Trains.

The Crew Goes Coconuts! is a softcover book by Carole P. Roman. This book has fun colorful illustrations and is part 6 of the Captain No Beard Series. Even though I do not have any of the other books in this series, this one read well on its own. It has a great message of how to deal with bullying and not giving in to peer pressure. My younger kids liked the goat in the story and felt bad for her at first, but everything turned out well in the end. My younger kids were glad the story had a happy ending. I liked the good message and that it has strong male and female characters.

Oh Susannah: It's in the Bag is the first early reader chapter book in the Oh Susannah series. It didn't take my daughter Teela who is 9 years old very long to read. I also read it as well and thought the theme to be very relatable. The little girl, Susannah, in the story is in 3rd grade and having problems...each one she stuffs away in her backpack. My daughter thought the banana in the story was pretty funny. The illustrations are adorable and done by Mateya Arkova. The message at the end is a good one and Susannah learns how to deal with her problems and ask for help when she needs it.

The If You Were Me and Lived In...series are great for use with homeschool unit studies. We love these books. They are very informative. The Captain No Beard Series and Oh Susannah Series is wonderful for the great messages they have. I would highly recommend all of these.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolePRomanAwardWinningAuthorAndBooks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroleproman/
Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5854108.Carole_P_Roman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/caroleproman  
Hashtags: #hsreviews #childrenshistory #historystorybooks #culturalstudies

BUY IT
You can purchase these books on Amazon at these links...

• If You Were Me and Lived in...Egypt (A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World)
• If You Were Me and Lived in... the American West (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time)
• The Crew Goes Coconuts! (A Captain No Beard Story) (Volume 6)
• Oh Susannah: It's in the Bag (An Oh Susannah Story) (Book 1)

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Carole P. Roman...