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Another title in the Good News for Little Hearts series is Gus Loses His Grip by David Powlison. This children’s book is for those times “when you want something too much.” For Gus, the temptation comes in the form of sweets. Many of us can related to that, right?

In this story, Gus struggles with moderation. He hides candy in his room, gobbles up his Easter candy, and steals candy from the local store.

Young readers might need help understanding the correlation between Gus’s temptations (candy), Mama’s temptations (sales), and Papa’s temptations (fishing lures). Be sure to read the parent guide at the back of the book to extend the discussion to suit your own family’s needs. For our family, at this point, it’s about video games, YouTube, and shoes!

I had a few issues with this story. His parents seemed largely unaware of the way Gus indulged. Young ones might be tempted to tuck candy under a pillow like Gus did, since it was never addressed in the book. Additionally, Gus did not receive a consequence after his parents caught him stealing from the store. He was forced to return the candy and offer an apology, but nothing beyond that. If my children had read this at the book’s marketed age (5-8 years), they would have been punished at home. At the very least, I wondered why the commandment against stealing wasn’t mentioned.