I’ve got a thing for well-illustrated books that really capture the endearing quirkiness of kids.  That’s the first thing that made me love Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy* by Jacky Davis and David Soman.  But as I read it to my 4-year-old again tonight, I realized what a perfect book it is to illustrate the social problem-solving kids need to do almost every day.  Something he had done today, in fact.

Just this afternoon, he and his brother were at odds about how to play together.  As they got flustered and frustrated and began to grouch at each other, I stepped out to intervene.  In a split second, I had to decide whether to intervene by settling it myself, or by taking the time to teach them to own their problems and problem solve together. 

[Read more…]