Who Am I? - a TOS review

Who Am I? is Apologia's second book in the What We Believe series.  

Here is the description of the What We Believe series taken from the Apologia site:

Our children are bombarded on a daily basis with competing messages. Every song, movie, book, TV show, blog, and game is full of ideas—ideas about truth, morality, beauty, identity, faith, and more. Not all of these ideas are true. Some are wrong, some are deceptive, and some are outright destructive. It is more important than ever that young children be equipped to discern among competing ideas and stand in the truth. This is why Apologia has teamed with Summit Ministries to bring you the "What We Believe" Series. The "What We Believe" Series is an outstanding way to teach your child the essential beliefs of the Christian faith, but it’s so much more! With this student-directed, Bible-based curriculum, your children will learn how to use Scripture as a lens through which to view the world around them—to see everything the way God sees it—and know the truth.

We received the second book, Who Am I?, along with a coloring book, notebooking journal, and audio CD (only plays on mp3 players or computer).

My daughter was all about the coloring book and couldn't wait for me to start reading so she could color.  Since the age range is 6 to 14, and our daughter is only 4.5, I wanted to peruse the book first, before starting to read it to her.  As I sat in our office, reading while my husband worked, I couldn't help but keep interrupt his programming to exclaim accolades for the book.  I ended up reading a lot of it to myself that night.

What I loved in my first perusal of the book:

The story of Sasha and his friend Ivan that is used throughout the first half of the book to teach about self-worth is very engaging.  I read the whole thing, skipping all the extra parts just to get to read Sasha's story.  I love how the story applies the lessons of God's love and how He created us in His image in a way that children can relate. 

Throughout the book there are pictures and blurbs about artists, athletes, musicians, and pieces of art that weave in the lessons they are teaching about God.  I feel like one gets a good dose of art appreciation throughout the book.

The way they introduce other religions as told through a real child's point of view (in third person) really spoke to me  I am not ready to read those to Bear yet.  I don't want to confuse her as she doesn't know enough about our own religion yet.  However, when I am ready to teach her about other religions (New Age, Muslim, Buddhism, Hinduism, and others) I like how Who Am I? has approached it.

The audio CD of the whole book (mp3CD).  If I don't feel like reading it aloud, I can just put on the CD and we can all listen to it snuggling on the couch.  (ETA: After hearing the CD, I can say that the voice is not as engaging as I had hoped.)

The coloring book that my daughter can color while she listens to the stories. The illustrations in the coloring book coincide with the lessons in the book. Of course, Bear chose to color it out of order.:)

What I liked less:
As conversational as the text is, the book itself still has a "textbook" feel to it. 
Things I did to adapt it for Bear's age:
There is plenty of meat in this textbook to keep us for at least a couple of years and then some, as parts of it I can't imagine reading to her until she is 7 or 8.  Currently, I am only reading her Sasha's story.  She is enraptured and often forgets to color as she is so intently listening.


I read this to her on the weekends while my husband plays with J-jo.   Since we only read it twice a week, we aren't very far along. I feel like I am only skimming the surface of this text with Bear.  I highly recommend Who Am I? for the age range it is intended, although a 4 or 5 year old could certainly listen in to some of it and gain wisdom and insight.

The approach to the text and the series is very unique.  It allows for so many discussions about God and His word. I look forward to using it in its fullness in a few years.

You can see a full Table of Contents here.  The following are the lesson/chapter titles.

What Are We Doing Here?
What Will You Make Today?
What's on Your Mind?
Can You Trust Your Feelings?
Will You Choose Wisely?
How Will You Run the Race?
What Kind of Fruit Are You Growing?
Who Do You Think You Are?

I haven't used the Who Am I? Notebooking Journal with Bear due to her age.  She already has enough written work for her age in her other curricular areas.  However, I could see some parts of it that would be really appealing to her, such as the wonderful full-color mini books to create.  There's even a lesson plan all mapped out for you at the beginning! I love Open-and-Go more than ever so this was a pleasant surprise.

Who Am I? is available from Apologia for $39.  The coloring book is $8, the Notebooking Journal is $24 and the Audio CD (for mp3 players only) is $19.  You can see a sample lesson here and also take a look at some of their resources for parents such as How to Have a H.E.A.R.T for Your Kids and Educating the WholeHearted Child which I reviewed earlier this school year.

See what other Crew members thought about Who Am I? here.


Disclosure: I received this product free in exchange for an honest review.  The thoughts expressed are my own and no further compensation was received.