Meg Is Not Alone

Megan Hill

Reviewed by: Tiffany Ward

Meg Is Not Alone, by Megan Hill. Crossway, 2022. Hardcover, 32 pages, $14.99 (Amazon). Reviewed by OP member Tiffany Ward.

Meg Is Not Alone by Megan Hill is a short and sweet picture book about a young girl, Meg, who accidentally gets left at church by her parents on a Sunday. As anxiety sets in, the members of her local church run to the rescue. Some call her parents, others offer her tissues, still others bring her cookies and storybooks to pass the time until her parents return to the building to gather her.

The purpose of the story is to teach children that “God gave us church friends to take care of us.” The diversity of the church is displayed through babies, teenagers, the elderly, those with disabilities, and people of different races, all assisting Meg in her dilemma. Meg even gets the opportunity to help others in return. With a happy ending, her father teaches her that even though many church friends had taken care of Meg, it was really God who was at work taking care of her through them.

The clever illustrations draw young children into church scenes they are familiar with: the messy church coat rack, a narthex filled with people socializing, the outside view of the church building on an autumn day, and big hugs from dad. The last page of the book contains a note to children explaining that this story is based on real life events that happened to the author when she was a child. In this note, Megan Hill explains that before Jesus died, he told his friends to love one another just as he loved them. It is this commandment that is lived out when our church friends help us by worshiping with us, by “encouraging us not to sin,” and by praying for us.

This book is an uplifting story for small children that teaches them a very simple truth in a relatable way. All children can relate to the anxiety of being left alone, and this story helps them see that they belong to a family in the local church.