“I Have a Little Problem” Said the Bear


Written by Heinz Janisch
Illustrated by Silke Leffler

For ages 4 to 7

Get this book
This book is best for:
  • listening skills
  • problem solving
  • making inferences

Review

A troubled bear visits everyone from an inventor to a doctor to find someone who will listen to his problem. Unfortunately, each person he visits gives a solution before they take the time to listen to him! None of these solutions helps the bear until, finally, he finds a good listener who helps him solve his problem.

This book conveys a meaningful message about the importance of being a good listener. Showing good listening skills helps us to be effective communicators and learners. It also helps us to make new friends and be a great friend to others. This book is also a great option when targeting higher level semantic skills, such as problem-solving and making inferences.


Book Details

Narrative Structure: Abbreviated Episode

Story Plot: Wishing Tale

Themes:
  • animals
  • clothing
  • occupations

Speech and Language Targets

Speech Sounds:
  • /b/ (bear, boots)
Grammar:
  • adjectives
  • irregular past tense verbs (i.e. wound, went, hung, shook, took, sat)
  • subjective pronoun - ‘I’
Semantics:
  • inferencing (e.g. What did the inventor think bear’s problem was? What did doctor think bear’s problem was?)
Concepts:
  • descriptive (heavy, light, dark, long)
Social-Emotional:
  • being a good listener
  • empathy
  • friendship
  • listening skills
  • problem solving
Narrative:
  • character description
  • sequencing
  • dialogue
Book Info

Published by North-South Books in 2009 (ISBN: 9780735822351)

To stay updated on the latest and greatest picture books for speech and language development, subscribe to our email newsletter.