Review: FIGURING THINGS OUT....
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 3, 2013
First time I have read one of Nothman's books and I was very impressed. In this one, Justine is distressed to find that her stuffed toy bear is missing. She searches high and low for it only to find that her brother had taken it to play a game in his room. They have an argument, but Justine feels bad about yelling at Benjy. Justine seeks advice from three of her animal friends about how to handle her feelings and receives three different opinions. Her rabbit advises her to do nothing until Benjy reacts, the proactive kangaroo suggests that she gently tell Benjy that next time he needs to ask to borrow a toy first, while her toy bear urges her to give her brother a hug and tell him that she loves him. What will she choose to do? Benjy has a big surprise in store for Justine!The author points out to her young readers that there is more than one way to resolve conflicts peacefully. She also provides a guide for parents in using her books to guide children through the inevitable conflicts that will arise among family and friends as they are growing up. I will be looking at other books in the series, and highly recommend them to parents and teachers as a valuable aid in discussion and conflict resolution at home and in the classroom.