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• I Love You, Christopher Bear
• A Bad Day for Christopher Bear
• Christopher Bear Makes Friends
• It's Mine, Christopher Bear!
• Christopher Bear's First Christmas

By Stephanie Jeffs, illustrated by Jacqui Thomas (Augsburg Books) $5.99 each, 32 pages each

Books for very young children have to strike a tricky balance between simplicity and appeal. Err on one side or the other and you've got a book that will end up on the back of the shelf. These sweet little books, however, are ones you'll want to keep close at hand.

Each short story involves Joe, a preschooler, and his beloved stuffed pal, Christopher Bear. As Joe faces the ups and downs of being 4, he and Christopher learn simple lessons about kindness, sharing, and forgiveness. I Love You, Christopher Bear tells of a trip to the grocery store that leads to a reminder of God's love for all people. When Joe has a grumpy morning in A Bad Day for Christopher Bear, he finds out how to say he's sorry to those he's hurt, including God.

But what is most appealing about these gentle stories is how naturally the spiritual lessons are woven in to all the little events of Joe's life as a preschooler. Joe's conversations with his mom will undoubtedly inspire a few teachable moments for your child as well. Preschool

By Laura Derico, illustrated by Peter Wilkes (Tyndale) $7.99, 12 pages

Laying the foundation of godly character in our children takes daily, intentional work on the part of parents. But that doesn't mean character formation has to be a chore. In fact, with a fun tool like this book, your child won't even notice that his heart is being shaped to look more like God's.

Todd is a friendly little tiger who faces all kinds of decisions during his day. Should he yell at his sister when she spills his juice or be kind to her? Should he keep the yellow paint all to himself or share it with his friend? As Todd's day goes along, he tries to do the things he knows God wants him to do, like be patient and obey his parents. His example will help your child see that she has choices to make, too.

The text is straightforward and easy to understand, making this a good conversation starter ("Have you ever felt like Todd did?"). And it doesn't hurt that this sturdy book is shaped like a tiger. Preschool

• Bad Bug Blues
• Long Shot

By Sigmund Brouwer, illustrated by Tammie Lyon (Bethany Backyard) $3.99 each, 32 pages each

Kids come up with some amazing ways to get into trouble. Take Joel, the 7-year-old protagonist in this new series. If he's not sneaking a jarful of caterpillars into a concert, he's eye to eye with an angry bull on his uncle's farm. Every elementary-age child will see himself if Joel's efforts to wiggle out of sticky predicaments, especially those kids who are creative troublemakers themselves.

In Bad Bug Blues, Joel and his older brother, Ricky, go to a concert with their friend Old Mr. Jones. But a lost caterpillar leads to a rather yucky finale (kids will love the ick factor in this story). In Long Shot, the boys visit their cousin Lisa and find out that big rocks and big livestock don't mix.

Each book ends with a moral lesson that can lead to further conversations with your child. To help you out, the books provide a quick discussion guide with an application, a few questions to get your child thinking, and a Bible verse.

These books are written for beginning readers, so the language is a bit stilted for reading aloud. Just the same, your kids will get a kick out of Joel's funny adventures. Most of all, your kids—like Joel—will discover that godly virtues like kindness and honesty can improve even the most dire situation. Early Elementary

Written and illustrated by Bryan Ballinger and Keith Lango (Zonderkidz) $14.00, 34 pages

The first in a new series from Big Idea (the VeggieTales people), this silly book features absolutely no vegetables. Instead, you'll meet a mouse named Gruntly and his frog friend Iggy who live together in their lighthouse on the prairie—that's right, a lighthouse. That set up alone should clue you in that this is a story unlike anything you've ever read before.

Gruntly, it seems, has a thing for toes and cheese sculptures. Iggy crafts wind chimes from insect parts. But their docile lives are interrupted when Gruntly makes plans to enter the Prairie Cheese Carvers' Contest. The result is far too complicated to explain here, but suffice it to say that it involves smelly socks, hot dogs, and something called a Decheesinator.

Amid all this wackiness is a solid message of friendship and Christian brotherhood. Despite their quirks, Gruntly and Iggy discover that together, they can accomplish great things. One note: this is a long, wordy story that might be hard for younger children to follow. The book says it's for kids 4-8, but I'd save it for kids over the age of 6. Elementary

• The Case of the Giggling Geeks
• The Case of the Chewable Worms
• The Case of the Flying Toenails

By Bill Myers (Tommy Nelson) $4.99 each, 80 pages each

Myers, author of the popular Wally McDoogle series and co-creator of Focus on the Family's McGee and Me series, has created yet another character sure to charm your child. Bernie Dingledorf is a 10-year-old boy who is mistaken for a secret agent. As a result, he is sent on a series of covert government missions to save the world from the likes of Dr. Chuckles, who wants everyone to be as silly as he is, and an organization called B.A.D.D. (Bungling Agents Dedicated to Destruction) that has invented worms that taste so good, they're habit forming.

With secret agent gear like jet-powered dental floss and shoelaces that double as rope for tying up bad guys, Bernie and his pals foil their enemies and save the world from certain destruction. But what makes these books worth recommending is that all this fun happens for a reason. In each book, Bernie himself has something to learn. Lessons like respect, honesty, and the importance of serving others are crystal clear—not just for Bernie, but for your child as well. Elementary

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