Sam and the Sticky Situation – A Book about Whining

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Sam and the Sticky Situation is a children’s storybook that tells the sweet and silly story of a child who ends up in a very sticky situation due to an unfortunate case of whining. This engaging book will teach your children about the consequences of whining in both the case of a child and an adult.

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A few months ago I came to the unfortunate conclusion that my child was struggling with the classic symptoms of whining. Every time I turned around he seemed to have a whiney tone of voice.

We would ask him to change his tone of voice, and he would, but quickly he would return to the old whine. As the whine became more ‘routine’ I found myself quoting some scripture passages to him including this one from Phillipains 4:8.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Phillipians 4:8 ESV

The best way to teach our children about the consequences of whining is to turn to the Bible and challenge them with scripture. Philippians 4:8 is a great reminder that what comes out of our mouths should be excellent and worthy of praise.

My friend Mindy at mindyjonesblog.com has some excellent resources for kids memorizing scripture, including good songs for memorizing scripture.

At the bottom of this blog post, you will also find my free download for some scripture cards that can be used for helping children memorize passages of scriptures that can support self-control with whining.

Another way that I often find helpful when attempting to teach my child about something is by using books. Sam and the Sticky Situation was a great addition to this valuable lesson.

What is Sam and the Sticky Situation About

I don’t want to give away the entire storyline, but I will say that my favorite part of this book is that it it’s not just the child, but also the mom who learns a lesson about whining.

Both characters go through a journey of whining. Sam literally lands himself in a very sticky situation as a result of his words and actions. The mother also realizes that she had been modeling whining for her children and confesses her sin first.

Poor same also realizes his sin and feels a heaviness. I love this line because it speaks to how sin makes us feel, “All the people were sad with trash all around. I felt heavy inside as I stared at the ground.”

The book shows with great amusement the consequences of whining and models repentance.

Sam and the Sticky Situation

Layout

The book is written with rhyming stanzas. It flows well and is easy to read.

The rhyming stanzas can be read in a more sing-song way, which makes the book upbeat and fun to read. It is also filled with colorful illustrations.

Ages the Book is For

This book is great for all ages (including moms!) because it addresses the consequences of whining.

However, the book was written for ages 4-7.

Intermediate readers might also enjoy this book reading by themselves.

Favorite Parts of the Book

This book is a real-life look at how whining can infiltrate a family.

  • Children can relate to the storyline
  • It’s funny!
  • It teaches the consequences of whining in a Biblical manner
  • It shows and teaches repentance
  • It comes with a summary and application section at the back

Drawbacks

There are a few drawbacks to this book that I want to address. There are always going to be parts of books that we like and don’t like, and as a reviewer, I want to be forthright and honest about the things that I didn’t love.

First off, the mom participates in the whining herself, in fact, the first depiction of whining is by the mom and her actions are a little extreme. She throws the laundry at one point and the child says in the narration that she was ‘really mean’.

The portrayal of the mom seems rather extreme, however, I also realize that her actions and words are completely ‘real’. It’s normal for moms to be overwhelmed and frustrated by motherhood experiences. There is always Biblical hope for moms that deal with anger.

The mom also gives into the whining on multiple occasions before she realizes what she has done and confesses her sin.

Where to Buy Sam and the Sticky Situation

The pros outway the cons of this book and I still will give it my full recommendation. You can buy Sam and the Sticky Situation from many different places including Amazon or New Growth Press.

I highly encourage you to buy this book from New Growth Press as it is a great publishing company that is producing gospel-filled books for all ages.

Sam and the Sticky Situation

Rating of Sam and the Sticky Situation

I would give this children’s book my full-hearted recommendation! It is a delightful tale that keeps my children giggling yet communicated profound biblical truths.

I also have available a scripture memorization printout for you to use with your children as you memorize scripture to combat whining. We personally started with memorizing Phillippians 4:8. You will not only get the scripture memorization printout but access to the entire vault!

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