Hoggy, Foggy, and Their Terrifying Life With a Spider is a story that explores fear, loneliness, and grief. The story follows a ghost, a ninja, and a spider as they face their fears and form unlikely bonds along the way. Sara Madden creates an approachable introduction to real-life topics for children with adorable and relatable characters while maintaining a lighthearted tone throughout.

The peculiar dynamic of the three characters stems from their fears: Hoggy, the ghost, is scared of the spider; the spider is scared of ninjas like Foggy; and Foggy is scared of being lonely. Once they encounter each other and clear the air, they start to connect beyond their fears and learn what they all like and love to do.

Madden demonstrates the shift from fear to grief, exploring a wide range of complex emotions when loss strikes Hoggy. He struggles to grasp how to move forward until he befriends another friendly spider. This new friend represents the opportunity and the life after loss. Hoggy revels in the friendship, telling her about his past ninja and spider friends, who they were, and the things they liked.

The story is accompanied by digital renderings of the events being told on the page. These illustrations are immersive, filled with dimension and detail while still keeping an animated style suited for children. The drawings utilize color strategically to correlate with the mood of the scene, adding another layer to the depiction of grief.

Hoggy, Foggy, and Their Terrifying Life With a Spider is a great portrayal of loss and the emotions that accompany it for children. It has layers of empathy and explores how everyone’s lived experience is different. Madden highlights how, despite losing someone, their memory can always live on through their stories and the things they shared with you too.