I happened upon this e-book accidentally, but boy did it come in handy for night-time readings while on the road! I’d never heard of Clyde Robert Bulla before, but this first taste of his historical-fiction for children makes him a definite trove that I hope to mine in the future.

A Lion to Guard Us is the fictional story of three all-but-orphaned children in 1609 England who hope to sail to the New World in search of their Father. Amanda, Jemmy, and Meg are children with personality, though the eldest girl Amanda catches most of the spotlight. Their adventures take them from the kitchens and closets of some wealthy lady in England to the holds of The Sea Adventure, a real-life ship whose fate was dashed against the rocks of Bermuda. The title comes from a door-knocker heirloom which their father had left the family before leaving to seek a new life for them all in the New World.

I read this book to my children, ages 5 and 7, before bed over the course of a few weeks (1-2 chapters per night), and I was surprised at how engaged they were in the story. Some portions (like the “devils” discussions) were a bit inappropriate for the five-year-old, but otherwise, she was as interested as her brother. It helps that, in home-school, I had recently introduced them to the Pilgrims, the Mayflower, and the earliest years of the American colony. But I really think that the story itself contains enough age-appropriate action and issues to keep even kindergartners engaged, though I assume it’s intended more for an elementary audience.

Regarding lessons that parents or teachers can pull from this story, I’d say that each chapter hints toward something specific, be it honesty, love, loss, or trickery. The wise and intentional reader can use this story as an ethical teaching aid, though admittedly, I didn’t do that every night. Overall, we really enjoyed the book, we were surprised by its sudden ending, and we look forward to more Bulla historical-fiction. As an addendum, I was also surprised to learn that the story of The Sea Adventure was the backdrop to one William Shakespeare’s own The Tempest. Wow!

©2018 E.T.

Read More from Clyde Robert Bulla:

• The Secret Valley (1949)
• The Sword in the Tree (1956)
• The Ghost of Windy Hill (1968)
• The Shoeshine Girl (1975)
• A Lion to Guard Us (1981)