Cottonmouth And The Great Gift

Fredrick looked down at the river, confused as he remembered his parents’ last goodbye. “I have to be alone again?” he asked softly.
Tug smiled and quietly said, “No, Freddie. Not this time. I came to give you a gift. This gift is my prize possession, my treasure, my friend. He will guide you on your mission, Fredrick. In the ways I have been there for you, he will be there for you; and in the ways I have comforted you, he will comfort you. He will teach you, and ultimately, he will give you power.”

Book: Cottonmouth and the Great Gift  by C. S. Fritz, David C. Cook, 2014

Genre: Fantasy/Allegory

Target Audience: Boys 9-14

Subjects: The Holy Spirit, Missions, Temptation, Truth

Summary: Tug is back! Oh how happy and joyful Fredrick is now! But Tug isn’t staying. He’s going to prepare a place for Freddie. Fredrick is so sad, but Tug gives him a special helper who will be with him. Soon Fredrick and the helper start off on the journey to give an egg to the girl with the two different colored eyes. It will be a long, hard journey and they don’t fully know how to get there. They just trust that the river will guide them. But the journey comes with temptation. The closer they come to their goal, the more the tempter would like to see them fail.

Notes: This three book series is promoted as “Polar Express” style books. There is text but there are also whole pages with nothing but photos. The pictures very much help tell the story. It’s almost like a picture book for older kids. The story is very allegorical. Someone familiar with the Bible can see the story of Adam and Eve facing temptation, the story of Jesus sacrificing His life for us, the story of the Holy Spirit being sent to help and guide, the story of Jesus going to Heaven to prepare a place for us, the story of satan tempting believers, and the story of the great commission. It's a great allegory for explaining the gospel message to young people. The downfall is that you have to know the Bible stories to know that’s what they’re referring to. The author does not mention anywhere in the book what the allegory is about. So readers are left thinking it’s just a nice fictional story, not that it’s based off of a real story that can change lives as much as the character’s was changed.
In this second book, the character representing Jesus, sends the character representing the Holy Spirit to comfort, teach and strengthen. It also shows persevering when times get hard or tiring along the journey. And it show the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit. Fredrick makes his assignment harder by being too impatient to listen to the directions he is receiving.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 1/5 for the average audience, 5/5 for readers very familiar with the Bible

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 14:16, 25 – And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever- But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.