Max Lucado's Hermie and Friends ~ A Bug Collection

I was on of the 50 lucky people to receive the DVD Box Set of Max Lucado's Hermie and Friends A Bug Collection. This particular selection was in high demand on the BookSneeze program. I was very excited to receive my DVD's and to show them to my children, ages 5 1/2 and almost 3.

The DVD contains three separate disks, each containing an episode of Hermie and Friends. Each episode is introduced by Max Lucado and Hermis, who discuss some of the themes of the story to come. Some of the voice talents in this series include Tim Conway, Richard Kind, and Victoria Jackson.

The first DVD was "Milo, the Mantis Who Wouldn't Pray ~ It's About Prayer". In this episode, Milo the Mantis' Snack Shack is struck by a storm, and Milo is devastated. He struggles to find a way to express his sadness, but refuses to pray about it, or ask for help from God.

The second DVD was "Buzby and the Grumble Bees ~ It's About Bee-having." In this episode, Buzby has some trouble with his niece and nephew misbehaving and everyone sets out to teach them a lesson.

The third DVD was "Hailey and Bailey's Silly Fight ~ It's About Getting Along." Ladybugs Hailey and Bailey, who usually get along, have a huge fight in the garden and everyone else is forced to take sides. They struggle to make up before the good deeds that they set out to do get ruined by their bad mood.

The stories are deeply rooted in the bible, which is to be expected, considering they are a Tommy Nelson publication, however, I was expecting an almost sugar coated Bible story; what I got was some pretty intense lessons on God and how God expects us to live our lives, and how we should behave according to the Bible. I wasn't prepared for the heavy religious lessons, anticipating instead a sort of Veggie Tales storyline with a sprinkling of Christian values and morals. I'll admit, we aren't a religious family in the sense that we discuss God, Jesus and the Bible in explanation for everything that we do or don't do. I have taught my children about God and Jesus, and have read them Bible stories. However, I felt that the Hermie and Friends episodes were a bit too religious for us. I enjoyed the ladybugs, and thought the animation was well done, and Hermie is adorable; but Buzby the Elvis impersonating bee was too much, and the stories as a whole did not capture my children's attention. I know many families that would enjoy these DVD's, but they just weren't the best fit for us.