God, I Need to Talk to You about My Bad Temper

From a series of over 16 titles comes God, I Need to Talk to You about My Bad Temper. This little book was written by Dan Carr. The story is told as a prayer through first-person narrative. A young boy talks to God while in time-out for losing his temper. Throughout the day he hit his little brother, made a mess at mealtime and slammed a door. That is when his parents sent him to his room. They talked with him and now he is talking to God: confessing his sin and asking for help.

The boy explains that his anger is often a reaction to fear. He fears that his parents will be angry if he makes a mistake or that they love his little brother more than him. His parents assure him they will always love him, no matter what, and so does God.

Bible verses are offered as sidebars, including Proverbs 14:17, Psalm 56:3 and John 6:37

Illustrated by Bartholomew and Bill Clark, the pictures are in comic book style. They feature vivid colors, bold contrast and the occasional block-letter word -- like "yuck!" or "ugh!"

What I Like: This book does a wonderful job giving children words to use. My son struggles with a reactive temper. This book has helped us identify and diffuse those feelings that ignite tempers before it's too late. The illustrations are great. It's a nice length and encourages kids to talk to God when they encounter problems.

What I Dislike: The size. The length is great, but the actual size of the book is small -- only 5-1/2" x 4-1/2". If it were a hardback or board book, the size would be fine, but because it's a paperback, it could easily be lost. Although, for the price, it's definitely worth it!

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Age Appeal: 2-7

Publisher Info: Concordia Publishing House, 2003; ISBN: 0758605153; Paperback; $0.99

Buy it Now at Christianbook.com for $0.99!
Also available as a 10-pack for $6.99.