Heirloom Audio Productions - Captain Bayley's Heir - REVIEW!

Our family has become obsessed with audio books this year. In the car, in the evenings, when my kids ask to watch a show, it's audio book time. When we discovered Heirloom Audio Productions, it was love at first listen. This is audio theater! This is not a one-dimensional audio experience, these stories come alive. Listening to Captain Bayley's Heir has been such a treat.

Our story starts in England, where we meet 18 year-old Frank. Frank lives with his uncle Captain Bayley, and cousin (though not actual relative) Alice. Frank has another cousin Fred, and the two of them, along with Alice make the acquaintance of a crippled boy named Harry. Frank rescues Harry's dog from drowning in ice and they become friends. We also learn that Captain Bayley has a missing daughter with whom he has lost touch.

We quickly learn that Frank is kind, brave and considerate of others. He is also a young man who loves adventure and finds himself in trouble for fighting. Through some bad circumstances, Frank is accused of much worse, theft and bribery. Facing expulsion from school he decides to head for America.

Adventure seems to follow Frank, and in America his exciting story unfolds. He is in a massive storm on the Mississippi, joins a wagon train, fights Indians and so much more. Frank does eventually reach California to partake in the gold rush, and has a great deal of luck! Frank is even reunited with the family he left behind in England. Captain Bayley's heir is discovered and all the missing pieces of the story come together. All through the story God's grace upon Frank is evident to him and those around him. It really is an awesome story filled with hope and interwoven with Biblical teaching. And, of course, lots and lots of adventure.

I listened to this with my almost 7 and 5 year-old. They were definitely on the younger side for this story. It really helped having the enhanced audio experience. When they are on a ship, it sounds like a ship. You hear chains rattling and waves lapping, sails whipping and sailors chatting. All of this helped them immensely. They could visualize and follow along with the story much easier. It really feels like you are at a play, they just do a tremendous job.

There is also a study guide that goes with the book, which you can access online at Live Adventure Club. The guide is intended to spark good conversation about the story. For younger children it helps clarify the events and their significance. For older children it can be used as  writing assignments.
Each section is comprised of three parts- Listening Well, Thinking Further and Defining Words. Listening Well has a series of questions about that section of the story. Some of the questions are really easy while others take a moment to remember. Thinking Further requires the child to draw some conclusions and think about characters intentions and feelings. The final section is Defining Words, which gives your kids a chance to learn some of the words they may not know in the story. This is a great way to enhance their vocabulary. This guide is a great way to incorporate these stories into school time. Even if you listen to this in the car or on the go, you can still ask a few of these questions. It is a really helpful way to get educational value out of the story.

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