“I Have a Little Problem,” Said the Bear

Submitted by Ms. Tess!
“I Have a Little Problem,” Said the Bear by Heinz Janisch and Silke Leffler is a book that teaches an important lesson, in my opinion, for children to learn. Meet the bear, with a problem. “I have a little problem,” he says. “You see, I…” but as he is about to explain, he is interrupted. First, by the inventor, who is sure that the bear’s problem is he is too heavy, so he makes the bear wings, so that he’ll feel lighter. Then the tailor, who is sure that the bear’s problem is that he has no scarf to wear. Then the hatter, who is sure a fine hat is the cure for whatever problem the bear might have. The bear visits many folks, but no one lets the bear tell them what his problem is! They just assume they can fix it with some new thing. Finally a fly sees the bear moping, and asks what’s the matter. The bear says “I don’t want to talk about it. No one listens to me anyway.” But the fly is willing to listen. It turns out the bear’s little problem is that he is afraid of the dark, and needs a friend in his cave with him at night. It just so happens the fly would be happy to stay in the bear’s cave, and be his friend. Being a friend means being a listener, and the moral of this story is when someone has a problem, we should listen, instead of just assuming we know what’s best for them. See this book listed in our catalog