Shawn and His Amazing Shrinking Sister: A Book About Teasing by Ginger Hubbard and Al Roland

Shawn’s family heads out on a camping trip, but after seeing his mom tease his dad, Shawn begins to tease his little sister, Annie. When he doesn’t relent, Shawn’s sister begins to shrink. After seeing his mom apologize to his dad, Shawn realizes he is making Annie feel small, so he apologizes and repents of his sin. His sister forgives him and is restored to her normal size.

Teasing can be a difficult subject to handle when it comes to siblings because personalities and sensitivities vary so much between children. This book’s goal is to help parents start a conversation with their children about the realities of what teasing does to the other person and how we should respond as Christians. I appreciate the author’s desire to show children that adults can fall into this sin as well and what repentance and reconciliation should look like.

“I thought teasing was funny. Just something to do.
But I did not consider, it wasn’t funny to you.
My words should encourage, but they’ve made you feel bad.
I hope you’ll forgive me for making you sad.”

I did find it a little odd that at the end of the book, the fear of Annie actually disappearing was a real concern. In addition, the rhyming felt a bit forced. While this wasn’t as meaty theologically as I had hoped, overall, this could be a helpful tool for children who are struggling with teasing.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclaimer for more info.