The Missionary Who Won a Nation by Prayer
Illustrations by Giuseppe Rava

Although I’ve been reading whole book series to my kids over the past 3 years, I’ve known all along that I also need to be peppering our nighttime readings with Christian biographies, so they can know that reality is just as exciting as fiction. The most recent attempt at this was a quick biography of Helen Keller I had on my shelves. Forthcoming will be a book on Gladys Aylward and then another about missions in Africa.

Second on the list, however, was this illustrated biography of Hudson Taylor in what’s called the “Heroes of Faith and Courage” series. I had never heard of the series before but finding this book in my library (and having long been a Hudson Taylor fan), I knew my kids (10 and 11) would enjoy it. And enjoy it they did!

Although this book is just 50 pages long (and about half that space is filled with colorful illustrations of Taylor’s exploits), the pacing was fast, chronological, and split up into about 12 sections that give and overview of his life from beginning to end, including the truths of the Gospel, his passion for the lost, and the sacrifices he made throughout his life. Included also are some snippets about such things as “Christianity in China”, “China’s Political History”, and “China Today” (though the past 27 years have certainly changed a lot!).

As I read this book to my kids, I noticed that my son was especially interested. My daughter tends to ask a lot of questions about our fictions stories, but my son usually stays silent. For this, however, he had several comments to make, which left me pleasantly surprised! When I asked him what he liked specifically about this book, he mentioned that he “kinda liked it because it’s true history” and because “it’s Chinese.” Since my wife is too, I guess that’s not a big shocker!

I’d be interested to find other books in this series, if possible. A quick perusal shows biographies for such heroes as David Livingston and Florence Nightingale. As long as my kids as willing to let me read to them at night, I’ll keep feeding them inspiring stories of such heroes of the faith!

These may be out of print, but if you’re looking for a quick read for your elementary or middle-school child or Sunday School class, I don’t think you can go wrong with these!

©2022 E.T.

Read more by and about Hudson Taylor:

• Daring Dependence by M.R. Conrad (2022)
• Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Howard Taylor, Mria Taylor, and Gregg Lewis (1932)
• Hudson Taylor and Maria by J.C. Pollock (1962)
• From Faith to Faith: The Influence of Hudson Taylor on the Faith Missions Movement by Daniel W. Bacon (1984)
• Heroes of Faith and Courage: Hudson Taylor by Marlee Alex (1995)