Also by this author: Little Christmas Carol: The Illustrated Edition
Series: Little Pilgrim's Progress
Published by Moody Publishers on April 1, 2025
Genres: Children's
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Newly imagined tales from the world of Little Pilgrim now for early readers!
The King’s Cadets and Little Joe is a collection of five short stories following the characters from the land of Little Pilgrim. Early readers will be absorbed in the delightful tales and captivated by the enchanting woodland illustrations as they adventure with three brothers, Matthew, James, and Little Joe. The rabbits spend their days playing in the fields and woods of the Land of Delight and dream of growing up to one day be soldiers of the King, like their hero, Great Heart. Wielding wooden swords and shields, they call themselves the King’s Cadets. These knights in training, including the littlest brother who’s confident he’s big enough to join, set out on courageous missions of their own. Their bravery and boldness get them into trouble from time to time, and they occasionally need a little direction from their wise woodland friends.
Readers will return to the adventures and misadventures of The King’s Cadets and Little Joe again and again.
This early chapter book tells short, cute stories about characters who live in the world of Little Pilgrim’s Progress, a children’s adaptation of Pilgrim’s Progress that stars woodland creatures. In this new collection of short stories, the main characters are siblings, and many of the stories involve realistic sibling dynamics and life lessons about getting along with family members and friends. Each story begins with a Bible verse, and they all model positive values.
The illustrations by Joe Sutphin are gorgeous. The characters look adorable, and the nature scenes look lush and inviting. All of the illustrations have soft colors, interesting little details, and a warm, cozy feel, and the style will appeal to all ages. The art is the most striking and appealing thing about this book. The stories are cute, but some of them are stronger than others. I felt that a few ended too abruptly, or had final lessons that didn’t clearly connect back to the Scripture shared at the beginning. However, since I have not read the original book set in this world, I may have been missing background and character development that would have made some things seem clearer.
The King’s Cadets and Little Joe: A Little Pilgrim’s Progress Adventure is a simple collection of stories that families can read together, and which independent readers can enjoy on their own. The large font size and plentiful illustrations make this a good fit for young readers, and this will especially appeal to families who have already enjoyed the Pilgrim’s Progress adaptation that inspired this book.