Ballantyne the Brave

One of the great responsibilities and privileges of parenting is the opportunity to help your children choose good books. I remember pouring over the illustrated classic editions of Tom Sawyer, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Call of the Wild, and Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Golden Scarab. My parents helped instill in me a love of reading good books, one that I enjoy sharing with them to this day.

But so many books that are published for kids today are borderline worthless. Sponge Bob entertains, but will reading one of his books inspire a love of literature in your children?

Thus I present an antidote to the onslaught of dribble being thrown at your children today. The Vision Forum has dedicated a new website to the works of R.M. Ballantyne.

The site describes Ballantyne’s works as follows: “Here was an author who taught boys to be strong, vigorous, and courageous, but he did so in the context of a Christian world view and pure faith in Jesus Christ. Ballantyne takes boys to the four corners of the earth on amazing adventures, and the Gospel message is an important part of his stories.” The site was started by the 15 year old son of the founder of The Vision Forum, Joshua Phillips. On the site, Joshua maintains a blog, facilitates various contests, (including book give-aways), and offers articles and a downloadable brochure with a summary of each of Ballantyne’s 20 books. This is an excellent resource for young boys who are eager to read. You can buy the entire Ballantyne Library (20 books) right now for 25% off.

The site also gives a bio on another renowned author of boy’s adventure books, G.A. Henty. You can also purchase his books here through The Vision Forum.