Arlo and the Great Big Cover-Up is a story that I want to read to my future children at night. It states a Bible verse at the beginning of the tale and incorporates that verse throughout the story. Arlo is a young boy who imagines a scratch in the wall of his room becomes a face. Using his imagination, he colors in the face with crayon and tries to hide his artwork from his mom. The author relates this tale to hiding sins from God and the feelings that may bring us. A short picture book, this is a tale that others who are believers in Christ should read when they are little.

This is a great book for children, I really liked the illustrations. I thought it was good that the back gave more information for a parent/guardian to follow up on with the child as they read. My only concern would that would it put an idea of mischief in the child's head - probably not but just to be aware of. Overall a good read with a simple message.

As a parent of two young children, I have the joy of reading to them. This allows me to come into contact with books that I wouldn’t otherwise.

I was given the opportunity to read Arlo and the Great Big Cover-Up by Betsy Childs Howard, illustrated by Samara Hardy by NetGalley and Crossway books.

Here is my honest review:

The book begins by quoting Proverbs 28:13 – “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy”, and gives you an opportunity to study this verse with your child (depending on their age and understanding). It’s always helpful to read scripture to your children as it is, and then discuss what those tricky words mean, and thankfully the story that follows offers some help.
We’re introduced to Arlo, a young boy who is having “quiet rest time”. This was a difficult concept to gloss over, and so to explain to my children I just changed that to “having a nap”.

Arlo, in a moment of playful curiosity does something that he shouldn’t have, which is very relatable for all children (and adults), and then he tries to cover up his mistake – again we’ve all been there.

The story discusses how Arlo is feeling, which again can help a parent in discussing feelings, and how it’s ok to make mistakes, but “look how he feels! He feels funny and afraid! Is this because he’s tried to cover it up?”. The story speaks of his thought process during all of this too and his decision to cover up his mistake.

We then meet Arlo’s mother. She simply addresses the situation. She asks what have you done, and then works with him to understand that he shouldn’t have. Again, words like ‘disobeyed’ and ‘punishment’ are not in my vocabulary with my children, so these were changed, however there is some good parental guidance on not shouting, but being calm, and discussing a consequence for the “wrong” thing that Arlo had done.

This is a good, small book which may need a few changes in the vocabulary used (perhaps this is a cultural issue as I am from Wales and not America), but there is a sound message here with lovely illustrations for both young and old to enjoy.

I liked this book until they started talking about sin and God. Arlo has drawn on his wall with a marker. He tries to hide it but his mom still finds out. He does get punished, and I do like that the punishment was no “screen time”. It makes it feel modern and relevant to our times. The story should have ended with Arlo’s mom helping to clean things up. Instead it goes into a lecture on sin and trying to hide our sin from god. NO THANK YOU. On a side note, the characters in this book are Black, but the author is not. The race of the illustrator is unknown.
#BBRC

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This was a lovely story about telling the truth and admitting when you have done something wrong or bad instead of trying to cover it up. I thought the story was completely relatable to children and easy to understand too. I would have rated this book 5 stars but I didn't like the end part about sinning and bringing God and jesus into it just didn't gel in the book. The message in the story was clear and simple and I felt this adding on at the end was completely out of place in the book.

I want to give Arlo and the Great Big Cover-Up to every mom of little ones that I know. I love the bright pictures, but more than that, I love how the gospel is presented in a way that young children will understand. As Betsy Childs Howard says in her Note to Grown-Ups: “It’s never too early to learn to come out of hiding and into the light, where the blood of Jesus cleanses us and our loving Father welcomes us into his arms!”

I really enjoyed the message this story was telling, until it turned into a religious book. I think the book could have been just as impactful without that.

Every child can relate to the story of Arlo who draws a picture on his wall with a marker and then tries to hide it from his mom. Reading this book will lead to a great discussion with kids about how we all sin and we can't and shouldn't try to hide it from God or anyone else. We need to repent of our sin, ask forgiveness, and make restitution if possible.

This was an adorable read! It was the perfect story to tell kids why they should listen and also why they don’t need to hide or lie, when they have made a mistake, because things can be fixed and always be forgiven. Ada enjoyed it and we will definitely read again!

Brilliant book, very fitting within the current climate. Beautiful, bright illustrations capture the readers attention and imagination. Definitely will share this with a class in the future.

Sweet Story about Truthfulness and Grace

Arlo is a great character that just about any kid could identify with. I found it amusing that he kept increasingly doing things at quiet time that he knew he shouldn't do, but he just couldn’t help himself… and he kept making things worse. I think the book does teach a good lesson about being truthful and not covering up or lying about something you've done. The book starts off feeling very nonsecular; the story and the lesson work for anybody. Then the last couple of pages add a Christian element to it. To me, the story didn't need this as the lesson and the moral were already inherent in the earlier story, but if you are Christian, you will appreciate how the author ties this to Christianity. I wish more people in the real world allowed for such grace!

Arlo regretted drawing on his wall immediately. He did his best to cover it up, but he only made it worse. This book was just ok to me. It has a great message but the story is just not entertaining.

“Cleaned up is much, much better than covered up.”

This is a sweet book with the moral being that we don’t have to hide our sin from God. I appreciated the themes of forgiveness and mercy. The illustrations are fantastic, I love the color scheme throughout the book.

A story about repentance and grace. What’s more relatable to a kid than wanting to draw on a wall while their parent isn’t looking? Arlo and The Great Big Cover-up helps point kids to the truth from Psalm 32–unconfessed sin eats away at you but when we confess there is forgiveness. I look forward to sharing this one with my kids!

The story opens with the perfect hook that will captivate young readers. When Arlo notices a scratch on the wall, that looks like a mouth, he is intrigued. Tempted to draw, despite knowing that he shouldn't, Arlo reaches for his markers and gives into temptation, drawing on his bedroom wall. Worried how his mother will react, Arlo tries to hide what he has done and ends up with an even bigger mess.

The story provides opportunities for conversations about honesty, sin, and forgiveness.

The only reason I give this four rather than five stars is that toward the end of the book, the text shifted. The Christian message could still have been conveyed without being so didactic. That being said, I highly recommend this book.

Looking for a book on talking about sin and seeking forgiveness from God for little kids to grasp? This is a book published by Crossway that I appreciate for its angle about the issue of our sins. I wished there were more books like this although recently there seems to be more books coming out like this one that specifically mention about sin and the need to confess it to God.
The story is about a little boy name Arlo. He’s supposed to be resting in bed but he decides to break several rules. Then he tries to cover it up but the more he tries to do so the more frustrating it turns out to be. As a picture book this story was told with realism that kids can relate to. My own daughters got wide eye as the story unfolded. I thought it was something they can see themselves doing. This allows me to have a serious conversation with my daughters about the need for the Gospel for their own sins that I as a parent see.
While I was reading this book my wife was also listening in and wondered if Arlo would be spanked for his sin. My wife thought it was unfortunate that the book didn’t explain spanking in a Christian context; instead the child’s punishment was reduce “screen time.” But I felt that showing spanking might be controversial today for any publishers to show in our day and age. Still we see in the story consequences.
I thought it was interesting that the artwork tried to capture the characters as an African American family. I think in Christ we are a diverse ethnic people so I appreciated this.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Crossway and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

This one is definitely a good pick for those of the Christian faith. Arlo colors on the wall and then tries to hide it from his mom. He finds that trying to hide his misdeed, it makes him miserable and he makes a bigger mess trying to cover it up than just coming clean (excuse the pun) about what he did. The story draws parallels between how Arlo handles the situation and how we as humans handle sin. There’s a bit in the back for grown ups that can spark some deep thought and perhaps conversations with kids about sin and prayer and redemption, too.

I really enjoyed the art in this little book. It’s well drawn, and the story is simple enough for children to follow, and like the parables of the Bible, it’s a simple story that is indicative of a larger meaning. It’s out next week (June 2nd), so if you’re looking to add discussion about sin and admitting it/getting forgiveness into your story routine with your little ones, check this one out.

I like the concept of this book. The artwork is beautiful. The idea of how children might worry and be afraid when they make mistakes is one worth talking about! Bring in a public school, this is a book that could be included in the collection, but maybe could not be read directly to whole classes of students. The emphasis on god being the part that gives me hesitation. However, I love the idea of giving this book to the right child and to the right purpose. I think Sunday school/CCD teachers would love this one.

This book offers a tale of forgiveness. I found the book a little uncomfortable because the boy seemed to be very afraid of the consequences of his actions and the reaction of God and his mother. It is a little too moralising for my tastes. However, I am sure there are many parents who will find this book a useful tool to discuss actions and consequences.

Arlo and the Great Big Cover-Up is a sweet story for children. It tells about sin and the need to ask for forgiveness. It also shows the reader how God forgives us our sins. Arlo and the Great Big Cover-Up has sweet illustrations on top of the great story, making it a good read for children. I will read it in Sunday School for sure.