The Cat of Bubastes ~ Review

Guess what? You may have heard our excitement when we we were again picked for an audio drama review. Heirloom Audio Productions has done it again! Their new release, The Cat of Bubastes, is another one of our favorite audio dramas. This is the sixth drama realease of G.A. Henty's books by Heirloom Audio Productions.

Most audio productions that we have listened to have been books by G.A.Henty. They help bring the book to life. By listening to a book made into an audio adventure, my children have become more interested in reading the actual book.

About G. A. Henty ~
Born in 1832, Henty became an exceptional English author and war correspondent. His stories are historical and adventurous. They became popular in the late nineteenth century and are still widely read today.

About The Cat of Bubastes ~
This story is about a young prince, Amuba, in ancient Egypt around the time period of 1250 B.C. During a battle with the Egyptians which leaves his father, the King of Rebu, dead, Amuba is captured and taken to be a servant and companion for Chebron, the son of Ameres, the high priest of Osiris. These two boys get caught up in a mystery after uncovering evidence of a murder plot. Eventually, they have to run away after accidentally causing the death of the successor to the Cat of Bubastes, the most sacred animal in Egypt. 

Included with the 2-CD set, are some digital bonuses. The bonuses I received are as follows:

• Cat of Bubastes MP3 Set
• Cat of Bubastes e-book
• Official MP3 Soundtrack
• Printable Cast Poster
• Study Guide and Discussion
• Inspirational Verse Poster
• Behind the Scenes Video

The e-study guide and discussion booklet is 47 pages long filled with a lot of information. There are three main parts to the study guide: listening well, thinking further, and defining word.

• The Listening Well ask questions about what your child remembers while listening to the story
• The Thinking Further questions are a little bit more difficult where your child needs to think a bit more about the answers
• The Defining Word section are words to look up that require a dictionary to broaden your child's vocabulary

One of my favorite parts of the study guide are the little tid bits that are posted on several pages. In this study guide they are called "Expand Your Learning" that you can see in the sample above. I also love that they include a three page Bible Study at the end of the guide. 

What did we think of The Cat of Bubastes?

Another 5 star production of The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A.Henty! Again, we loved this production and loved how the book comes to life. We love the humor, the suspense, and the adventure. We usually listen the first time without using the study guide, but we go back and re-listen to the story while using the study guide. We always get hooked on the first listen and don't worry about the time. The kids just want to know what is going to happen next and will listen to the two hours in one sitting. They love these and hope that Heirloom Audio Productions will produce more audio dramas. 

Beric The Briton ~ Review

You all know from my past reviews that my children and I love audio dramas. I love when audio dramas come up for review and pray that we get picked to review them. We especially love audio dramas produced by Heirloom Audio Productions. Their newest drama is Beric The Briton.

To be honest, I had never heard of G.A. Henty before I started listening to the Heirloom Audio Productions of his books. I never would have thought to introduce his works to my children if it had not been for the dramas.

About G.A. Henty:
Born in 1832, Henty became an exceptional English author and war correspondent. His stories are historical and adventurous. They became popular in the late nineteenth century and are still widely read today.

About Beric The Briton:
This story takes place around 60 AD during the Roman invasion of Britain. Beric is a young man at this time. He fights with the Iceni tribe which is led by Queen Boadicea. Even though he defeats the Romans, he is eventually captured and sent to Rome. There he is trained to become a gladiator. He gains fame when he defeats a lion with bare hands and is then sent to serve in Nero's palace. He does eventually get back home to Britain after Nero dies, but he is not as welcomed as he thought he would be.

Beric The Briton audio drama is recommended for children age six and up. There is over 2 hours of listening time which is a great way to have fun while learning some history. The cast of Beric The Briton includes some well known actors such as Brian Blessed, Tom Cox, Cathy Sara, and John Rhys-Davies.

Not only do you get to listen to a great story, but you are able to expand on the story with the included 48 page digital study guide. Your children learn historical facts from listening to the story and also from answering the questions provided in the study guide. They are also able to learn the meaning of different words throughout the story. And while reading through the study guide, I found a recipe for Roman Noodle Bake. Sounds good.

I also like how they incorporate the Bible in the study guide by offering several Bible Studies.

Some of the other digital freebies I received are as follows:

• Beric The Briton MP3 Set
• Beric The Briton E-Book
• Official MP3 Soundtrack
• Printable Cast Poster
• Inspirational Verse Poster
• Behind the scenes video

What we thought of Beric The Briton:

We loved it! This series is so well produced and it really does bring history to life. This is the fourth Heirloom drama we have listened to and we look forward to hearing more audio dramas produced by Heirloom Audio Productions. We try to spread out our listening time, but we always seem to get hooked and just have to listen to more. We did manage to spread out our listening this time to a few days. We did not use the study guide at this time, but if we listen again, I will probably go through some of the guide with my older children. 

5 Stars for Beric The Briton!