This is the second Slugs & Bugs book I have reviewed and this one is just as cute as the other (read the previous review here). What I really enjoy about these books is that they deal with multiple issues wrapped up into one, and life is like that. Rarely do we encounter just one issue at a time. Especially when it comes to friends.
In this story, kids face several things that they will relate to. First, personal boundaries and respecting others’ stuff. Doug couldn’t resist the chips and ended up accidentally eating them all, even though they belonged to Sparky. What kid hasn’t done that and/or had it done to them? They will totally relate!
Then Doug is faced with a dilemma. Is he going to tell the truth or lie? Every child is faced with this decision. Unfortunately, Doug chooses to lie, causing a lot of hurt feelings.
Eventually, Doug comes clean and tells the truth, but not without consequences. Sparky is very upset and isn’t sure if they can still be friends. Up to this point, the situation has dealt with three things that kids deal with in their lives, but it doesn’t stop. Sparky has a decision to make now. Will he forgive Doug?
After Doug expresses that he messed up and he is sorry, Sparky decides that they can still be friends. So not only do kids get to see how problems happen and how they can compound on themselves, but they also get to see that problems can be resolved if done properly. Doug apologized and explains that he messed up. Sparky decides to forgive. The book ends with the friends playing and their other friends joining in.
I like how this book takes real life examples in kids’ lives and teaches, in a fun way, how to work through them. I also like that it doesn’t simplify the problems into one thing. This could’ve been a book about lying, friendships, respecting other’s things, or forgiveness. But it was more than that, it was all of them. Life is often like that. Messy and complicated, with consequences compounding. Kids can relate to what happened and see how they can Biblically work through it. Definitely recommend this for your kids!
Laura is a trusted reviewer for B&H Publishing (Lifeway). In exchange for her unbiased reviews, she is supplied a hard copy for free.
