Gus Loses His Grip is another excellent book to be released by New Growth Press in the “Good News for Little Hearts” series. I have enjoyed every single one of these books, and so have my children. This volume is no different!
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David Powlison is the editor of the book, with Joe Hox credited as the illustrator. The story is created by Jocelyn Flenders, a homeschooling mom, writer, and editor.
Gus Loses His Grip
I love this book for many reasons, but the biggest reason is the Christ-centeredness of the content. All of the books in this series are based on the CCEF (Christian Counseling and Education Foundation) model of counseling, and it is seen clearly in the children’s story.
The book engages children and helps them to understand the nature of temptation, and the hope and help that we have in Christ. After Gus gets caught stealing candy because of the deep desire to have it, his father teaches him a wonderful lesson while fishing: “You know, Gus, there’s nothing wrong with eating candy once in a while…But when we love something too much it gets a grip on us and we lose our grip on what is really important. We want something more than we love Jesus…The Great Book calls that sin.” The father goes on to explain that he too deals with temptation, but praise the Lord, our temptation is never too strong for Jesus! We can be helped by Jesus.
The story is excellent. It’s a wonderful way of teaching our little ones about the nature of temptation as well as the hope and help that Christ offers to us. The illustrations by Hox are excellent! Kids will love the pictures.
Another excellent addition to this volume is the section in the back called “Helping your Child with the ‘I Wantsies’”. This is another excellent tool for parents in helping their children to honor the Lord with their lives, specifically in regard to temptation.
As in all of the other books in this series, back pocket Bible verses are included in the very back of the book for children to hang on to. They can carry them around with them, or commit them to memory.
I highly recommend this book! Parents and children will learn much from it.
Disclaimer: My thanks to New Growth Press for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book on behalf of an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Other Book Reviews in the “Good News for Little Hearts” Series:
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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