A Book Review from Books At a Glance
by Kristin Stiles
The series Good News For Little Hearts continues to grow and add new titles all geared toward helping children deal with the ups and downs of life. This is a marvelous series presented by CCEF (Christian Counseling & Education Foundation) which seeks to equips parents and children with biblical techniques for living life in this fallen world. These books address common fears, struggles, and adversity that children face. Advice and solutions come directly from the word of God and as such are guaranteed to be highly superior to what the secular world has to offer.
Topics covered in the four books reviewed here are guilt, shame, lying, and being inconsiderate of others. Each story takes us back to the now familiar characters of Mulberry Meadow. Some of the characters have appeared in other titles within this series and some are new. All of them are good representations of us and our children. Each book presents the story, highlighting one of the aforementioned topics, and then concludes with a note to the parents along with strategies for teaching and modeling the biblical responses along with a set of verses that the child can carry around to remind him/herself of the applicable truths contained in scripture.
Henry’s Big Mistake tackles the topic of “when you feel guilty.” Henry teases his little sister in front of her friends for her speech impediment caused by her recent acquisition of braces. She is deeply hurt, but Henry quickly dismisses and forgets the event. Seeing his sister miserable and hearing her tell her father how upset she is by her mispronunciations reminds Henry of what he’s done. His first instinct is to hope that she doesn’t tell Dad what he said the other day. Then he just hopes that she’ll get over it. Finally, he tries to be extra nice to her to make the guilty feelings go away. He is confronted with his sin in Sunday School when guilt is the topic of the lesson. He realizes that the feelings he has are those of guilt and that this is an alarm mechanism that God has given us so that we will confess our sin and ask for forgiveness from Him and from those we have wronged. Henry takes those steps and his relationship with his sister is repaired. Following the story, parents are instructed on the difference between feeling guilty about an accident which is false guilt and feeling guilty about sin which is true guilt. They are then given steps to help their children through the process of confession and restoration.
In Zoe’s Time to Shine we learn that Zoe is simply a terrible singer, but she has the misconception that she is fantastic, and she has every expectation that she will be given the lead role in the school musical. After announcing that assumed outcome to all her friends, she is devastated when not only does she not land the lead role, she doesn’t receive any part in the cast. “When you want to hide” is the subtitle of this story and definitely describes how Zoe felt. Her father finds her in the closet and talks to her about a time when he was humiliated in front of his co-workers and felt so ashamed and embarrassed. He encourages her by reminding her that she doesn’t have to face others in her shame alone and that Jesus is always with her. He advises her to put on several of the pieces of the armor of God to prepare her to deal with the disappointments and embarrassments in life. Parents are directed to point their children to God’s word and His promises during times of shame. We are to remember that our worth and value is found in Jesus and not in ourselves.
In Gwen Tells Tales, children are instructed as to what to do “when it’s hard to tell the truth.” Gwen is a very smart raccoon. One evening while her parents are out, she has been instructed to study for the following day’s math test and strictly commanded to not have any screen time. Well, Gwen believes the test will be a breeze for her, and she loves to do online gaming with her friends, so she disobeys her parents on both terms. Not surprisingly, Gwen fails her math test as it covered a topic she missed when she was out sick. To compound her sin, Gwen forges her mother’s signature on the test. She lied to her parents about her actions and said that the test hadn’t been returned yet. She gets caught in the lie when her mother meets up with her teacher at the grocery store. Gwen found it easier to fess up to the whole debacle after her mother shared a time when she had difficulty telling the truth and had to make amends. Parents are given wise advice at the end of this book about developing relationships with their children where truth is welcome and it is natural to confess wrongs.
Tomas Looks Up & Out addressed the issue of “when you don’t consider others.” Tomas is a pretty self-centered turtle. He is much more concerned about the interruptions of his sleep than about his sick sister coughing and sneezing. He comes home and brags about his swimming accomplishments to his parents while his friend who did not do well at the swim team tryouts stands awkwardly at his side. When the tables are turned and Tomas gets sick, he gets to experience what it is like to be treated with love and compassion. He learns that when others have empathy it is deeply meaningful. As a result, Tomas now desires to be less self-centered and to be more considerate of others. Parents are encouraged to teach their children empathy through example and by directing them to consider how others would feel in various situations they encounter.
I am very impressed with this series. The topics chosen are so very applicable to the typical experiences of children. The stories are presented in as realistic a manner as possible with woodland creatures. The responses of the parents are well thought out and filled with biblical truth. And just to add to the interest of the books, the illustrator has added so many whimsical details. It is a joy to look for the “human” items that the animals have apparently scavenged to use in their daily lives.
Overall, I would highly recommend these books and this series as a whole. I’d also strongly encourage parents to read the section at the back of each book and strive to incorporate the advice and activities into their parenting.
Kristin Stiles is a home-school mom, a Sunday School teacher, and helps lead the “Young, Reading, & Reformed” children’s ministry at Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia, PA.