Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, Kevin Bacon.
Warner Bros., Jay Russell, 2000. PG, Drama.

Synopsis: A story about coming of age in Yazoo City, Mississippi during World War II. A nine year-old boy, Willie Morris (played by Frankie Muniz before his "Malcolm in The Middle" days), is shy and withdrawn until he receives a terrier pup as a birthday present. The dog draws the boy out and the community together. A good story for children in the tradition of Old Yeller, even though there is some mildly violent content and a few coarse words. Based on the true life experiences of writer William Weaks Morris.

Trivia: Dink Jenkins writes to young Willie Morris about fighting in France in 1942. American soldiers did not liberate France until 1944.

Talking Points: Kindness

1. Did you have a pet when you were a child? Share some of the favorite times you had with that pet.

2. Willie’s father acted very harshly when Willie first received Skip. Does God sometimes take good things away from his children? If so, give some biblical examples. If not, why not? How does John 10:10-11 inform your understanding of this question?

3. Is kindness the same as weakness? How does the way Willie’s mother stood up to his father influence your thinking about this?

4. Kindness is not an abstract virtue, but the way we act towards others. Were Willie’s friends kind to him? Was he kind to them?

5. What should motivate us to be kind according to Galatians 5:22-25.