Reginald Parker Oliver Vine: And the Truth about Contentment

This is my favorite of this series. As with the others, the rhyming scheme seems too pushed. But my kids like it very well. And they get it, and they QUOTE it, which is great.

This is a great presentation of what happens to whiners: no one wants to play with them or be with them. Reggie finally realizes that he needs his former friends, but doesn't know what to do until a girl approaches him and tells him about Jesus. Then his heart changes and he prays to be "more like You, Jesus, and less like old me." When Reggie quits whining, all his friends come back and want to play with him. I wish it had been a couple of pages longer with more showing the "new" Reggie, but it still really gets the point across. The rhyming verse is engaging and the illustrations are expressive, and children enjoy this book and ask to have it read - it's not just a book mom will force the kids to sit and listen to in order to learn a lesson!