Redeeming Rhubarb Discussion Guide

For Parents, Teachers, and Children’s Ministry Groups

Part One: Loving Your Neighbor

Scripture: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” — Mark 12:31

  1. Barnabas moves into a neighborhood where he knows he isn’t wanted. How does he respond to Rhubarb’s hostility? In what ways does Barnabas live out God’s command to love his neighbor, even when his neighbor doesn’t love him back?
  2. Jesus was once asked, “Who is my neighbor?” and answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan — a story about someone helping a person from a group he had every reason to distrust. How is Barnabas like the Good Samaritan? Who is the “unlikely neighbor” in Redeeming Rhubarb?

Scripture: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” — Hebrews 13:2

  1. Sherry and Strawberry welcome Barnabas’s family even when Rhubarb forbids it. Have you ever shown kindness to someone your family or friends didn’t approve of? What did it cost you, and was it worth it?
  2. Sherry brings pie to welcome Barnabas to the neighborhood. What are small, practical ways we can love the neighbors around us today — especially neighbors who seem different from us?

Part Two: Prejudice and Where It Comes From

Scripture: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:28

  1. Rhubarb’s hatred of rats began when rats stole from his family and grew when a rat killed his brother. His prejudice has real roots — grief and pain. Does that make his hatred understandable? Does it make it right? What’s the difference between understanding someone’s pain and excusing what they do with it?

Scripture: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” — Proverbs 16:18

  1. Rhubarb believes rats are beneath him and his family. How does his pride blind him to the truth about Barnabas? Can you think of a time when pride kept you from seeing someone clearly?
  2. Betty explains to her children that prejudice “masks the hurt” — that hateful people often feel deep pain themselves. Do you agree? How does understanding this change the way we respond to people who treat us badly?

Scripture: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.” — Matthew 7:1–2

  1. Rhubarb judges all rats based on the actions of a few. Have you ever judged a whole group of people because of one or a few bad experiences? What did that cost you and them?

Part Three: Courage to Do What’s Right

Scripture: “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” — Joshua 1:9

  1. Strawberry has three good legs and a father who forbids her from befriending the rats next door. Yet she befriends them anyway, and when the flood comes, she acts with remarkable courage. Where do you think her bravery comes from? What gives us the courage to do what’s right when it costs us something?
  2. Strawberry is told, “Normal is overrated. You’ll be extraordinary.” She is different from other mice — physically and morally. Has anyone ever told you something like this that changed how you saw yourself? Who in your life speaks truth as Barnabas does?

Scripture: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” — Proverbs 28:1

  1. Think about a moment in the book when a character had to choose between safety and doing what was right. What did they choose? What would you have done in their place?

Part Four: Forgiveness

Scripture: “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” — Ephesians 4:32

  1. Barnabas tells Rhubarb he can forgive him because God has first forgiven him. Why is that connection important? Is it possible to truly forgive someone without first experiencing forgiveness yourself?

Scripture: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” — Matthew 6:14–15

  1. Rhubarb has tried to make Barnabas’s life miserable. When he finally asks for forgiveness, Barnabas gives it immediately. Does that feel realistic to you? Is there someone in your life you are finding it hard to forgive? What is standing in the way?
  2. Forgiveness in the book doesn’t erase the past — it opens a door to something new. What is the difference between forgiving someone and pretending what they did didn’t happen?

Scripture: “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” — Colossians 3:13

  1. Strawberry forgives Miley for what Miley tried to do to her. This is one of the hardest moments of forgiveness in the book — between natural enemies, where the wrong was very real. What made Strawberry able to forgive? What can we learn from her example?

Part Five: Redemption and Change

Scripture: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17

  1. Barnabas tells Rhubarb about a childhood bully named Paul who disappeared for years and returned a completely changed rat. Do you believe people can truly change? What does real change look like — and what does it require?
  2. Rhubarb’s redemption doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a flood, a loss, a rescue, and a long journey. Why does real change usually take time? What do you think finally breaks through to Rhubarb?

Scripture: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” — Ezekiel 36:26

  1. The book suggests that a crisis — the flood — is what finally forces Rhubarb to change. Have you ever experienced a difficult time that changed your heart toward someone? What happened?
  2. The title of the book is Redeeming Rhubarb. What does “redeeming” mean to you? By the end of the story, has Rhubarb been redeemed? What does his redemption cost him, and what does it give him?

Part Six: Addiction and Weakness

Scripture: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” — Proverbs 20:1

  1. Rhubarb turns to alcohol to cope with his pain and anger. How does his drinking affect his family? Have you ever seen someone use something — food, anger, work, screens — to avoid dealing with pain? What does that cost the people around them?
  2. Bart explains to Strawberry that Rhubarb’s body became dependent on alcohol and is now rebelling. This is treated with compassion, not judgment. How does understanding addiction as a disease change the way we treat people who struggle with it?

Scripture: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

  1. Rhubarb’s hatred is exhausting — it costs him his friendships, his family’s peace, and eventually his health. Jesus invites the weary to come to him. How might Rhubarb’s life have been different if he had brought his grief over his brother to God instead of burying it in anger and alcohol?

Part Seven: What We Teach Our Children

Scripture: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6

  1. Rhubarb has passed his hatred of rats to his children — or tried to. Strawberry refuses to inherit it. What are the beliefs, attitudes, and fears we pass on to children without realizing it? How can parents make sure what they’re passing on is worth keeping?
  2. Strawberry sees the truth before her father does. When is it right for a child to challenge what a parent has taught them? How should that be done with both courage and respect?

Scripture: “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” — Colossians 3:21

  1. How does Rhubarb’s anger and prejudice affect Strawberry, Blueberry, and Raspberry? What responsibility do parents have to examine their own biases before they become their children’s?

Part Eight: Trust and Healing

Scripture: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.” — 1 John 4:18

  1. Bailey the dog has been badly hurt by humans and has every reason not to trust Bart. Yet Bart’s consistent gentleness eventually breaks through. What does Bailey’s arc teach us about healing from trauma? What does it teach us about how to treat those who have been hurt?
  2. Bailey struggles to believe that not all giants are dangerous, even after Bart has shown him kindness repeatedly. Why is trust so hard to rebuild once it’s been broken? Have you ever had to earn someone’s trust back — or had to trust someone who had hurt you before?

Scripture: “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” — Psalm 34:18

  1. Several characters in the book carry deep wounds — Rhubarb from losing his brother, Bailey from mistreatment, and Miley from desperate hunger. How does God meet people in their pain in this story? Who or what does He use as His hands and feet?

Part Nine: The Gospel

Scripture: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” —Mark 16:15

  1. Barnabas shows kindness, mercy, and grace to Rhubarb. He forgives Rhubarb when Rhubarb apologizes. He tells Rhubarb his own redemption story to share the Gospel with him. How important is living the gospel before sharing the Gospel? Do you have your redemption story? Would you be able to share it with someone else?

Closing Reflection Questions

  1. Which character in the book do you see most of yourself in — and which character do you wish you were more like?
  2. The book ends with redemption, reconciliation, and community. Is there a relationship in your life that needs what Rhubarb and Barnabas found? What would the first step toward that look like?
  3. If you could give Rhubarb one piece of advice at the beginning of the story — before the flood, before everything falls apart — what would you say to him?
  4. Redeeming Rhubarb suggests that the way to defeat hatred is with love. Do you believe that? Is love always enough — and if not, what else does it take?

These questions are designed for flexible use — in a classroom, a homeschool group, a Sunday school setting, or around a family dinner table. Not every question will suit every group. Choose the ones that fit your context, and let the conversation go where it needs to go.

Redeeming Rhubarb Discussion GuideDownload

Young elementary students sitting in a circle in a classroom reading books.
A diverse group of elementary students sits in a circle reading books together in a classroom.