Coop Messes Up

I liked this book more than I expected to! I have two girls, ages 6 and 3.5, so I didn't think it would be a big hit. But it was recommended so much online that I went for it. And they really liked it!! Enough to have me read it multiple times over a few weeks. I loved the gospel connection in the story. It's a very clear lesson with solid gospel teaching.

I read this aloud to a 3 year old guest, with her mother present. It kept the child's attention, and the (unsaved) mother appreciated the emphasis on "I love you because I love you".

I absolutely love Coop Messes Up by Sarah Reju! Coop Messes Up is the first book in The Wheelies series published by New Growth Press for ages 3-8 and illustrated by Tania Rex. Coop Messes Up tells the story of Coop, a young boy car, who is excited to live life, but often forgets the rules his Parent’s put in place–like making sure he is full of gas before he leaves the house and to come home before he runs out of gas. Coop gets tired of always messing up and talks his sister, Lucy, into teaching him how to obey because Lucy never messes up. When Lucy messes up, both Coop and Lucy learn an important and valuable lesson about God’s Love. I love how Coop Messes Up is in the vein of the Cars franchise and the Christian version of Coop’s World that Sarah Reju creates. Tania Rex’s pictures in the story sweep you right up into Coop’s World, making you a part of it. What I love most about Coop Messes Up! is the powerful lesson that Coop and Lucy learn regarding God’s Love for us. I love the analogy that Coop and Lucy’s Mom uses to teach Lucy and Coop about God’s Love and how everyone messes up. The lesson of God’s Love that I learned in Coop Messes Up stuck with me like no other lesson on God’s Love that I have heard in a while. I love the helps and questions that are in the back of book that will help adults have meaningful conversations about God and His Love with the kids in their lives. I believe Coop Messes Up would be a perfect book to add to your shelf to be read any time and often. If you are looking for a book that will help you teach the young ones in your life about God’s Love, I highly recommend Coop Messes Up by Sarah Reju! I can’t wait to see what happens next in The Wheelies series!

This book does such a great job of remaining faithful to a Gospel message while providing an engaging read for little ones. The main character is a cute little car named Coop who has a hard time obeying the rules. Kids will discover that making mistakes can be an important way to learn about forgiveness and the gospel.

Cute book with a great gospel presentation of the unconditional love of God, written in a way that car-obsessed little kids can understand.

Children will love and learn from this practical little story!

This book is AMAZING! It does such a great job of remaining faithful to a Gospel message while providing an engaging read for little ones. The main character is a cute little car named Coop who has a hard time obeying the rules. Kids will discover that making mistakes can be an important way to learn about forgiveness and the gospel. I feel like that is so hard to do, and oftentimes the Gospel can get watered down in children’s books, but I was SO impressed by this one. My almost 4-year-old was captivated and attentive during story time with this book. It is the first book in a series called “The Wheelies,” and I am definitely looking forward to more books to come in this series.

Sarah Reju’s new book Coop Messes Up is a great book for kids. It has a great storyline about a little car that struggles to obey the traffic rules and doesn’t pay attention to his fuel gauge so he regularly runs out of gas. Ma catches Coop one day and he is so worried she won’t love him anymore. It is a beautiful scene when Coop learns that Ma loves him no matter what. And, that Jesus loves us no matter what as well.
Tania Rex’s illustrations are cartoon-like and will appeal to children. They do a great job of going beyond the text. Parents will appreciate the closing pages which include discussion questions and tips for parents. I can see Coop Messes Up becoming a favorite read aloud. Coop Messes Up would be a great addition to the picture book section of a K-12 Christian school library.

In this super cute story, Coop runs out of gas (again) even after his parents’ reminder. So he asks his older sister to help him follow the rules. His sister teaches him about all sorts of traffic laws (they start to feel pretty good about themselves and look down upon others who mess up) but they both end up running out of gas again! There’s an important message about making mistakes and unconditional love.

About 3/4 of the way through reviewing a digital copy of this book, my oldest said “Mommy, I love this book. Are we going to have it forever?” I think he was a bit unsure why we were reading it on my computer, but when I told him we could read this one anytime he wanted, he got a huge grin and said he was so glad. It’s always heartwarming to see my boys enchanted by good books.

Coop Messes Up is an adorable picture book that contains the most important message I want my children to hear. The story quickly catches the attention of young readers, who follow along with the adventures of Coop, a car that has trouble obeying the rules.

As the story progresses, we meet a police car, Lucy, who is a rule-follower, and fire truck Ma, whom Lucy & Coop perceive as the rule-enforcer. We learn that even Lucy doesn’t follow all the rules, and Ma admits that she is a rule-breaker, too. More importantly, Ma explains both her unconditional love for her children and also God’s unconditional love for them. My favorite line in the book is, “He loves you so much that he sent his Son Jesus to obey for you, and to die for you, so you can be forgiven for all your rule-breaking.”

In our home we love the New Growth Press picture books that illustrate the gospel so well for children. This looks like the start of another great series!

Coop Messes Up is an adorable picture book that contains the most important message I want my children to hear. The story quickly catches the attention of young readers, who follow along with the adventures of Coop, a car that has trouble obeying the rules. As the story progresses, we meet a police car, Lucy, who is a rule-follower, and fire truck Ma, whom Lucy & Coop perceive as the rule-enforcer. We learn that even Lucy doesn’t follow all the rules, and Ma admits that she is a rule-breaker, too. More importantly, Ma explains both her unconditional love for her children and also God’s unconditional love for them. My favorite line in the book is, “He loves you so much that he sent his Son Jesus to obey for you, and to die for you, so you can be forgiven for all your rule-breaking.”

My endorsement: Sarah Reju understands young kids. She's written a series of books that will be particularly engaging for boys and girls who love fast cars and big trucks. Sarah also gets the good news. In Coop Messes Up, she speaks directly to kids growing up in a performance-oriented, keep-the-rules world, reminding them that while the law is good, it cannot change a sinful heart. Only the love of God shown to us in Jesus Christ can bring that change. That's a message every child (and adult) needs to hear!