The Hidden Message of The Great Seal {Review}

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of The Hidden Message of The Great Seal through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

I have always enjoyed learning about history and finding out how things came to be as we know them. The Hidden Message of the Great Seal: How Foundational Truth from the Dawn of Liberty May Rescue a Republic in Peril is full of amazing truths about the foundation of our Nation.

I must admit, I have never spent time thinking about the National Seal of our country. It is really intriguing to find out how much thought went into the creation of our National Seal. There is so much hidden meaning behind every aspect of the design.

It is a great reminder of the significance the founding of our country had on the rest of the world. We owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who spent their lives establishing the great country in which we live.

About The Hidden Message of the Great Seal

The Hidden Message of the Great Seal is a 256-page paperback book chock full of important historical information about the creation of our country’s National Seal. In my estimation, this is written on an upper middle school or high school reading level. For younger children, I would suggest using it as a read-aloud. There are a few pictures that might be concerning for young children, so it would be important to look ahead and choose whether to include those or not.

The book itself is high quality with beautiful, brightly colored pictures depicting important historical documents and art pieces. There are multiple pictures and charts throughout that break up the text in a way that makes it visually appealing and easy to read.

The only struggle I found with the construction of this book is the landscape design. The shape of the book and the weight make it a bit tricky to hold and read aloud to children. This can be easily rectified by reading it on a hard surface such as a table or holding it in your lap.

Our Experience

My husband confiscated this book once it arrived. He loves history and anything that has to do with our country. It took him a few days to read through it and really enjoyed his time. He thought it was well written and contained tons of information he had never heard before.

Anything mysterious really grasps his attention and he really loved finding out what each aspect of our National Seal stood for and why they were included. He did say this would be a hard read for younger children, but he knew that our oldest son would love it as well.

I looked through the book and decided we would do a much-abbreviated lesson about our National Seal with my two younger boys. I know most of the information is above their heads right now, but I feel there’s some value they could grasp, even at their younger ages.

Benjamin Franklin’s List of 13 Virtues

My favorite information in the book so far has been Franklin’s 13 Virtues. This is a list of virtues, written by Benjamin Franklin when he was just 20 years old. It includes exemplary conduct for both individuals and our nation as a whole. These are such standard character traits that they stand the test of time as valuable to every generation.

Benjamin’s List of 13 Virtues includes:

Self-Restraint
Grace
Order
Self-Discipline
Stewardship
Hard Work
Truthfulness
Justice
Moderation
Cleanliness
Peacefulness
Morality
Humility

These virtues are exactly the kinds of character traits that I work to instill in my children. I love that the book has created this list as a page that you can remove and use as a poster. I will be framing this page and placing it in our schooling area as a reminder of the character we would like to possess.

Overall, we really enjoyed this book and I know as my boys get older, we will revisit it in more depth. I think The Hidden Message of the Great Seal would be a great supplement to any American History curriculum. It also could be used as a standalone Unit Study with great success.

About the Author

Michael Kanis has a BA in business and an MBA in Finance and Operations. He has been afforded the opportunity to travel abroad and interact with people from all walks of life. He is a man of strong conviction and faith in God and believes all Christ followers are called to share the light of the Good News.

This book was a passion project that took immense hours of research and writing. I think it is safe to say that Mr. Kanis himself had no idea the significance of The Hidden Message of the Great Seal when he began this project.

He currently resides in Holland, MI with his wife Tina and their three sons.