I was thrilled to get a chance to review Wulf the Saxon audio drama CD from Heirloom Audio Productions.
What is Wulf the Saxon from Heirloom Audio Productions?
I received a physical CD set of 2 audio CDs with 2 1/2 hours of listening. Since I am currently a member, I also had access to the Live The Adventure Club which is an online resource packed with additional activities that correspond to the audio CDs as well as additional resources and even old time radio presentations. The Live The Adventure Club also has the full audio presentations of other G. A. Henty works. Currently, Wulf the Saxon is Coming Soon to the online format, but we were able to download and print a Word Search associated with the Wulf the Saxon story to work while listening.
These audio products are not only a great way to expose your children to literature but also a fantastic conversation starter about history.
These audio products are not only a great way to expose your children to literature but also a fantastic conversation starter about history.
George Alfred Henty, better known as G. A. Henty lived in the 1800s and very early 1900s, dying in 1902. He wrote a series of popular fictitious works that are fitting for the entire family but were originally intended to read by youth. His books often use a fictitional character who interacts with well-known people from the era. G. A. Henty has a gift for turning old, dry and boring history into an exciting adventurous tale, and the amazing, award-winning voice actors make it come alive on the Heirloom Audio Productions CD.
Contrary to what my youngest thought, Wulf the Saxon is NOT a story about an animal named wolf! Hah!
Wulf the Saxon IS a story of loyalty, courage, sacrifice and true love.
Wulf the Saxon is an adventure set in medevil times. The story takes place in the time of the Norman invasion of England where one nobleman serves the last Anglo-Saxon monarch of England and ends at the Battle of Hastings. Wulf captures a castle, fights Norsemen and risks his life in a rescue after a shipwreck which lands them on the shores of Normandy in the year 1065. Wulf the Saxon joins the new king of England in a heroic struggle and battle against the invading Normans at the Battle of Hastings. Wulf was a page to the king. He goes through many heroic adventures. One of these adventures involves a shipwreck of Harold when William gets Harold to swear that he will be the next king of England. More adventures include an attempted assassination, the Welsh wars and the Norman invasion by William the Conquerer. Ultimately, Wulf stands loyally by King Harold.
This is a story about a young man who finds himself living among people who had at one time been enemies. As the story progresses, he discovers that an ally may turn into a foe, and once an enemy does not mean you will remain an enemy forever. Wulf must learn to balance his temper with his knowledge and let wisdom, love, and loyalty prevail.
Throughout the story, there is a deeper tale of love unfolding with a woman named Edith who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of England, a fight of brother against brother, and a growing love between Wulf and Agnes. Will there be a marriage in the name of love after all? Who and what will prevail?
How Did We Use It?
These Audio CDs are so easy to use and are very popular among homeschoolers because you can put them into a CD player in your car or at home or on your laptop if it has a disk drive. I have learned that my children are much more hands on or visual learners and when I present them with a sound-only curriculum, they groan and scatter. So, I prefer to put in audio presentations in a more subtle way and let it play while they are in the room or car not realizing it is a formal learning opportunity. Surprisingly, they pick up on it better when I'm not forcing them to listen. With this CD, I did focus on having my 11-year-old work the Word Search I found on Live The Adventure Club online while I put in the CD. Once she was finished with the word search, I found other work to keep her hands busy while the CD played. My high school sophomore was also in the room to casually listen.
What Did We Think?
Henty does a remarkable job weaving real historic facts into a story with a fictitious character, Wulf. Being of Welsh background, myself... My maiden name was Wells, I found the references and information about Wales along with the action with the Welsh soldiers particularly of interest. The book that the audio presentation is based upon, was written for youth. But, as with other great works of literature, it's a far cry well above what is considered youth literature of modern day.
These audio productions are by far the best I have encountered. Even my non-audio-loving learning clan appreciates the talent, voice acting, music, and state-of-the-art sound that goes into these productions. If you are an audio-loving family, you will absolutely love and devour these CDs in your homeschool and while out and about while you car school on the run or play them while on long trips. They are truly a work of art that only prove to enrich the listener.
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Read what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:
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