Big Problems, Little Problems - Ben Feller - ★★★★.¾

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AUTHOR: Ben Feller
ILLUSTRATOR: Mercè López
GENRE: Children's Picture Book.
PUBLICATION DATE: May 31, 2022
RATING: 4.75 stars.

A sweet book that talks of several important “problems” in a very practical way. What makes it extra special is that the story comes to us from the interactions of a father and his son – a rare combination in the world of picture books.

Sam and his Dad are the only two characters in this story. Sam gets flustered at a couple of things such as not being able to zip up his jacket or not finding his favourite cape. Dad helps him deal with those problems by teaching him the value of approaching the problem with the right perspective? Is the problem really that big? Can it be solved? Can there be an alternate solution than the one we want? On a day when Dad feels frustrated, it is little Sam who reminds him to have patience and handle the problem calmly.

I simply loved the relationship shared by Sam and his Dad. They listen to each other, they talk to each other, they have a secret father-son handshake, they don’t shy away from hugging each other. It is so soothing to see a father-son bond being depicted in a perfectly normal way, just the two of them with no justifications about why mum isn’t part of the story. Picture books often tend to focus on only the mother when it comes to parental interactions. This book is a welcome break and goes to show how hands-on even dads can be.

The illustrations, while not typical in style, have their own distinct appeal, which grows on you as you progress through the book. What I most loved about the sketches is that frustration and other negative feelings are depicted as tangled threads surrounding the character, and there’s always one end of this string near the character’s hand, waiting for them to calm down and unravel the problem. It’s a subtle but brilliant way of showing how the resolution to supposedly big problems is always near us, if only we take the time to look.

The title is perfect for the book!

Special shoutout to the author’s photo with his own son on the back page. They look like the perfect human versions of Sam and his Dad. This is his very first book, and I hope he writes more such beautiful stories for children.

Definitely and heartily recommended to little readers and big readers with little readers in their family/school/library.

My thanks to Tilbury House Publishers (W.W. Norton) and Edelweiss+ for the ARC of “Big Problems, Little Problems”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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