The Society of Extraordinary Raccoon Society on Boasting by Randall Goodgame–Book Review

I have reviewed several of the Slugs and Bugs stories by Randall Goodgame, and liked this one the best.  The tempo of the rhyming was bouncy and did not seem forced.  It’s a sturdy, colorful book (about the same size and format as the popular Dr. Seuss books) that youngsters will enjoy.

The story reminds young raccoons (and children) that we should not boast about our good deeds, or compare our gifts to the gifts of others.  Each one should give cheerfully, as he is able.  The lesson is a good one, and the illustration youngsters will be able to easily grasp the example used to illustrate it.

The ending Bible quote is:

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:31

VERDICT:  I give it 4 stars.  It is nothing out of the ordinary, but I liked it.

If you would like to purchase this book, follow the link below:

The Society of Extraordinary Raccoon Society on Boasting

If you would like to read other reviews in this series, see the following posts:

The Society of Extraordinary Raccoon Society by Randall Goodgame–Book Review

Are We Still Friends? by Randall Goodgame–Book Review

Which Shape Should I Be? by Paula Kennedy–Book Review

The Lutheran Ladies received a free copy of this book in return for an honest and fair review – Disclaimer pursuant to FTC 16 CFR Part 255

The Society of Extraordinary Raccoon Society by Randall Goodgame–Book Review

This is the third in Randall Goodgame’s “Slugs and Bugs” series for children that I have reviewed.  It is also the one I like least.

The book tells the story of a secret raccoon society that encourages members to give their belongings away, going against the normal raccoon tendency to slyly finding and appropriating things that belong to others.

The illustrations are colorful, but not exceptional.  The narrative lacks rhythm and bounce.  Some of the word plays and puns will not be understood by the age group the story is aimed at — for example, “we put the pie in piety.”  Piety is a concept that would be almost impossible to explain to young children.  Also, will children of this age make the connection that raccoons are known for stealing?

The message of generosity and sharing is a good one, but I didn’t find anything else to recommend this book.  I probably wouldn’t buy it.

The illustrations are colorful, but not exceptional.  The narrative lacks rhythm and bounce.  Some of the word plays and puns will not be understood by the age group the story is aimed at — for example, “we put the pie in piety.”  Piety is a concept that would be almost impossible to explain to young children.  Also, will children of this age make the connection that raccoons are known for stealing?

The message of generosity and sharing is a good one, but I didn’t find anything else to recommend this book.  I probably wouldn’t buy it.

VERDICT:  2 stars

If you are interested in purchasing this book, you can follow the link below:

The Society of Extraordinary Raccoon Society

 

If you would like to read reviews of others books by Randall Goodgame, you can check out these previous posts:

Are We Still Friends? by Randall Goodgame–Book Review

Who Will Play With Me by Randall Goodgame–Book Review

The Lutheran Ladies received a free copy of this book in return for an honest and fair review – Disclaimer pursuant to FTC 16 CFR Part 255

 

 

 

Are We Still Friends? by Randall Goodgame–Book Review

The bright illustrations and rhyming text of Are We Still Friends? will delight the eyes and ears of preschoolers.  It’s the perfect length for reading out loud, and parents will be pleased with the lesson it teaches.

Doug (the slug) and Sparky (the lightening bug) are going on a picnic along with a favorite snack — flavor-blasted pizza chips from Pizzaland.  Unfortunately, Doug gets carried away and eats the entire bag while his friend is not around.  Then he compounds his bad behavior by lying!  Luckily, Sparky is willing to forgive because:

“Sometimes it’s hard to be a friend.  And everybody gets it wrong-ways every now and then.”

The book closes with this Bible verse from Ephesians 4:32

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it.  The rhymes sometimes seemed forced, and some of the vocabulary a bit above the age group at which it is aimed.

VERDICT:  4 stars

If you would like to see my review of another Slugs and Bugs book, follow this link:

Who Will Play With Me by Randall Goodgame–Book Review

If you would like to purchase this book go to this link:

Are We Still Friends?

The Lutheran Ladies received a free copy of this book in return for an honest and fair review – Disclaimer pursuant to FTC 16 CFR Part 255

Who Will Play With Me by Randall Goodgame–Book Review

In size, illustration and presentation, Who Will Play with Me? reminds me of the many Dr. Suess books my children loved as preschoolers.  It’s just the right length for a read aloud book for this age group, and the winsome characters (Slug and Bug) will inspire interest and amusement.

Not overtly Christian, the story encourages children to be kind and put others first.  It also points how our diversity as individuals helps us to accomplish more together.  All of our traits are worthy and useful in different situations.   The book ends with a quote from Philippians 2:3:

“In humility, value others above yourselves.”

The author, Randall Goodgame is the well-known creator of Slugs and Bugs music and you can visit SlugsandBugs.com to find more of his products.

VERDICT:  Overall, this looks like a fun, cute book for young children.  My only criticism is the rhyming dialog seemed a bit forced, and lacked bounce.  I give it a 4.

Want to order the book?  Click on the link below:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/who-will-play-with-me-P005811096

The Lutheran Ladies received a free copy of this book in return for an honest and fair review – Disclaimer pursuant to FTC 16 CFR Part 255