Buster's Ears Trip Him Up: When You Fail

One of three in an excellent series of books for 5-10 years olds that deal with the heart issues that affect us all: anger, pride and fear. They are beautifully illustrated by Joe Hox, who brings animals engagingly to life with captivating touches. Buster learns literally that pride goes before a fall, when he trips in the big running race he was sure he would win. Zoe’s worries keep her from trusting that God cares for her and will take care of her. Jax’s family learn how anger can affect them all, and that they need to turn to God, apologise and forgive. One great feature of these books is the strong parental figures. They guide their children in the truth, acknowledge their own faults and listen well (Zoe’s mama “had good listening ears”). They bring their children back to God’s word as they guide and instruct, and are corrected by it themselves. Each book contains notes and guidance to help parents as they teach children about managing fear, failure and anger, which many parents will appreciate and hopefully realise to apply to themselves as well. There are also tear out bible verses for kids to keep in their pocket to remember God’s truths.

At present, there are three volumes in the "Good News for Little Hearts" series which seeks to help kids and parents face anxiety, failure, and anger in a God-honoring way. While these animal stories don't quite have the enduring charm of classics such as the Beatrix Potter books, Little Bear, or Frog and Toad and some conversations between characters seemed to come off a little unnatural (and maybe even a little "preachy") at times, my little ones enjoyed them nonetheless. The volumes are sturdy and full of creative, vibrantly colored illustrations. Each book concludes with Tips for further helping your child and four "Back Pocket Bible Verses" in the New Living Translation that you can cut out and give to your child. Buster's Ears Trip Him Up: When You Fail has the clearest Gospel message of the three books, and both it and Jax's Tail Twitches: When You Are Angry mention the need for Jesus' forgiveness. I love that these books clearly point our kids to Christ! As far as articulating biblical counseling material, Jax's Tail Twitches seems to have the most content as it models the proper way to handle conflict: going to God in prayer, taking the log out of one's own eye first, asking forgiveness, and being reconciled. Parents will want to make sure to avail themselves of the parent tips at the end for the clearest Gospel presentation in this work. Buster's Ears Trip Him Up came in close but, in addition to confessing sin to God, parents will likely want to follow the example and parent tips in Jax's Tail Twitches and encourage kids to apologize and reconcile with those who have been hurt by their prideful boasting. Altogether, these titles are useful picture books that will serve adults as they seek to minister to children in their lives and help them to better image and glorify their Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ. Many thanks to New Growth Press for sending me complimentary copies! I was not obligated to write a positive review. These words are my honest opinion!

At present, there are three volumes in the "Good News for Little Hearts" series which seeks to help kids and parents face anxiety, failure, and anger in a God-honoring way. While these animal stories don't quite have the enduring charm of classics such as the Beatrix Potter books, Little Bear, or Frog and Toad and some conversations between characters seemed to come off a little unnatural (and maybe even a little "preachy") at times, my little ones enjoyed them nonetheless. The volumes are sturdy and full of creative, vibrantly colored illustrations. Each book concludes with Tips for further helping your child and four "Back Pocket Bible Verses" in the New Living Translation that you can cut out and give to your child. Buster's Ears Trip Him Up: When You Fail has the clearest Gospel message of the three books, and both it and Jax's Tail Twitches: When You Are Angry mention the need for Jesus' forgiveness. I love that these books clearly point our kids to Christ! As far as articulating biblical counseling material, Jax's Tail Twitches seems to have the most content as it models the proper way to handle conflict: going to God in prayer, taking the log out of one's own eye first, asking forgiveness, and being reconciled. Parents will want to make sure to avail themselves of the parent tips at the end for the clearest Gospel presentation in this work. Buster's Ears Trip Him Up came in close but, in addition to confessing sin to God, parents will likely want to follow the example and parent tips in Jax's Tail Twitches and encourage kids to apologize and reconcile with those who have been hurt by their prideful boasting. Altogether, these titles are useful picture books that will serve adults as they seek to minister to children in their lives and help them to better image and glorify their Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Buster's Ears Trip Him Up: When You Fail deals with failure and disappointment. My daughter (age 6) zooms through our house on a regular basis and Buster doing the same was her favorite part in the story. She related well to the characters and remembered the story even a few days after I had read it to her. It teaches a dual lesson that God loves us no matter what and to turn to him in our failures. These are important lessons for both adults and children and I'm thankful for this book. I can use it to teach my daughters how to address failure in life in a healthy way that encourages spiritual growth. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Buster's Ears Trip Him Up: When You Fail deals with failure and disappointment. My daughter (age 6) zooms through our house on a regular basis and Buster doing the same was her favorite part in the story. She related well to the characters and remembered the story even a few days after I had read it to her. It teaches a dual lesson that God loves us no matter what and to turn to him in our failures. These are important lessons for both adults and children and I'm thankful for this book. I can use it to teach my daughters how to address failure in life in a healthy way that encourages spiritual growth.

There is always a need for biblical counseling in the church. Whether it is a couple trying to save their marriage or parents dealing with their wayward teenager, the ministry of biblical counseling serves as a guide to counsel from God’s Word. Married couples and parents need it. Teenagers ought to heed it. But what about younger kids? Oftentimes, the scope of biblical counseling seems to apply only to adults and teenagers. Yet, as Christians who believe the Bible applies to all of life for all stages of life, doesn’t God’s Word give direction and counsel for children too? The publishers of New Growth Press believe so and have put forth biblical counseling for kids in their new “Good News For Little Hearts” children’s book series. Buster’s Race and God’s Grace In this volume of the series, Buster’s Ears Trip Him Up: When You Fail, we meet a confident bunny named Buster who is so sure he is the fastest animal in the meadow. As the winner of the race at camp the previous year, Buster tells everyone from his parents to his friends he has it in the bag again this year. Everything seems to be going as planned until Buster’s ear slaps him right in the face and not only loses sight but the race as well. Distraught over his failure to win and letting down his team, Buster begins to burst into tears. At that time, his sister takes him on a walk to remind him his failure does not define him. What defines him is God’s love for him and that love never fails. Buster comes to the realization his failure to win the race was such a defeat for him because of the pride he showed before the race. The gospel humbles Buster’s pride and tells him the love of God in Jesus Christ is what defines him, not his failure to win the big race. Creatively Counseling Children on Failure and Humility Buster’s Ears Trip Him Up, edited by Edward T. Welch and illustrated by Joe Hox, uses this story about Buster’s race to teach children about God’s grace. In this story, kids receive counsel on how to respond to failure, addressing their sin of pride and the virtue of humility. This counsel is not merely about moral behavior. It gets to the heart. Biblical counselor Edward T. Welch is careful to show how only the gospel can adequately address such failures. This book and series show biblical counseling is not just for big people; it is for little hearts as well. It is biblical counseling for elementary-aged kids. This book is so much more than a book, though. Parents will appreciate the resources found in the back of the book, including a list of how to help their child with anger as well as back pocket Bible verses to cut out or copy for their children to use. If you are a parent who has a child that takes failure hard or tends to express a prideful heart, make sure you pick up a copy of Buster’s Ears Trip Him Up: When You Fail today! I received this book from New Growth Press in exchange for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and are my honest review of the book.

Buster's Ears Trip Him Up: When You Fail is one of three new releases in the Good New For Little Hearts series from New Growth Press and CCEF. As a member of a church that is very committed to Biblical Counseling I was very intrigued by this new series. CCEF has produced many quality resources for adults that have been very beneficial to me and countless others. The idea that these same truths would now be made available to kids in story book form had me very excited for their release.  The series brings gospel truth to children by “focusing on an animal family’s real-life issues, encouraging young readers toward a growing relationship with Jesus in the midst of challenging circumstances.” Buster is a bunny that is incredibly fast. He is eager to get to camp and win a race, the same race that he won last year. He wants all his friends to see that he is even faster than he was last year. He is clearly confident in his own ability to succeed. This race however ends in disaster. His ears cover his eyes, causing him to trip and lose. Buster is very upset, but his sister Ivy is there to guide him to the truth about our God who never fails. She tells Buster that "no matter how many times I fail, God's love never fails. He always helps. The Great Book says that God takes care of those who fall. I know this is true."  Through this conversation and a note from his Papa from Romans 5:8 Buster learns a valuable truth: "I guess that practice won't ever make me perfect. Only Jesus is always perfect." Buster then returns to his friends, recognizing that he will fail at times and that is ok.  The book closes with a section called Helping Your Child With Failure. Here the author gives 8 points from Scripture to further discuss with your children. This is where the biblical counseling influence of CCEF is most clearly seen. This section definitely turns the book into a resource to be used over and over again with your children. There is also a Back Pocket Bible Verse section with Bible verses for kids to carry with them for when they fail. This is a very nice addition to the book. The illustrations of the book are also very well done. Buster's Ears Trip Him Up is a wonderful resource for parents, teachers, and churches to connect the truths of Scripture with different struggles that children will face. The writing style is engaging, the illustrations are wonderfully done, and the biblical truths are clearly communicated. I would highly recommend this book to any Christian that regularly interacts with young children. I received a copy of this book from New Growth Press in exchange for an honest review.

The entire Good News for Little Hearts series is a wonderful collection of children's books that touches up on real life situations and the best way to handle them as Christians, with faith and grace. Jax's Tail Twitches touches up on ways to deal with anger and even has a lesson on sharing. Buster's Ears Trip Him Up teaches about humility and how to cope with failure. Zoe's Hiding Place discusses fear and anxiousness, and what God says about these things. The illustrations throughout are fantastic! With the turn of each page, not only does the illustrator tell the story with his artwork, but he was also sure to incorporate all kinds of neat and interesting details in the background to really help give each story depth and life. Each book is meant to strike up meaningful conversations between parents and their children as they read about the difficulties the characters face in their own individual situation, and how they learn to live in faith and follow what God's word says. As the plot of each book progresses and the main character comes face to face with a unique challenge, Bible references, prayers, and scripture are introduced to show them what to do next. In turn, this teaches young children how to deal with their own emotions and what to do when all odds seem against them. It's definitely a series that I hope will eventually expand to include additional stories. I received an advanced copy of the book, however all views and opinions are purely my own.

We all have to deal with disappoint at some time or other in our lives. I love how this book talks about how we deal with our disappointments and feelings of failure when those times come. This has been a great book for me to read and discuss with my children. I love how the story plays out, and the encouragement that Buster receives. The illustrations are darling as well! I received this book from the publisher. This is my honest review.