Buster Tries to Bail: When You are Stressed (David & Nan Powlison)

This colorful, beautifully illustrated children’s book invites children ages three through eight into Buster Bunny’s world to learn alongside him how to bring his worries and stress to Jesus.

Buster loves racing, but the more he thinks about the upcoming competition at the county fair for who will be the fastest animal in Mulberry meadow, the more stressed he gets. No matter how hard he trains, he can’t eat or sleep, and eventually he decides he wants to quit running. Buster’s parents talk with him about quieting the noise in his head so he can listen to Jesus instead of all his worries.

Parents and children will learn concrete, grace-based ways to deal with stress. Based on David Powlison’s minibook Stressed Out and edited by Nan Powlison, Buster Tries to Bail ends with a special section that guides parents in teaching their children to respond with faith when worries take hold in their hearts.

Good News for Little Hearts Series

Buster Tries to Bail is part of the Good News for Little Hearts series, bringing gospel help and biblical counsel to families. Based on CCEF’s model of hope and help, each story focuses on an animal family’s real-life issues, encouraging young readers toward a growing relationship with Jesus in the midst of challenging circumstances. Each individual story guides parents toward meaningful conversations with their kids, based on what Scripture has to say about living by faith in everyday life.

By providing biblical help and hope to issues every child faces through vivid illustrations and a story based on a different animal family, even the youngest child will be engaged. Each story offers practical ways to follow Jesus in difficult situations. Instead of a moralistic message, young readers are encouraged to develop a real relationship with the God who cares for them.

Buster Tries to Bail, along with all of the Good News for Little Hearts books, will become a lifelong gift for parents and children, as well as teachers, biblical counselors, and anyone hoping to provide concrete, grace-based help for young children. Buster Tries to Bail is illustrated by Joe Hox and edited by Nan Powlison.

About the Authors

David Powlison, MDiv, PhD, (1949–2019) was a teacher, counselor, and the executive director of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He wrote many books and minibooks, including Speaking Truth in Love; Seeing with New Eyes; The Biblical Counseling Movement: History and Context; Good and Angry: Redeeming Anger, Irritation, Complaining, and Bitterness; Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken; God’s Grace in Your Suffering; and Safe and Sound. David was also the editor of The Journal of Biblical Counseling and several of the Good News for Little Hearts children’s books. 

Nan Powlison loves to write and illustrate children’s books for her friends and seven grandchildren. Nan worked with her husband David to edit three previous books in the Good News for Little Hearts series—Zoe’s Hiding Place, Jax’s Tail Twitches, and Gus Loses His Grip.

The Illustrator

Joe Hox was raised on a farm in southern Iowa where he doodled whenever he wasn’t spading thistles or feeding pigs. Everyone knew by his crooked hay rows that he would choose art over farming. Joe earned his BA in Art and Education from Dordt College and his MA from the University of Nebraska. Today he lives with his wife and four children in Pella, Iowa, where he illustrates and teaches art. Joe has illustrated all of the Good News for Little Hearts series.