- Picture Books
- Ages 4–8
- Fables
What Do You Do With a Problem?
Book 2 of 3 in What Do You Do WithView the full series
Part of the Kobi Yamada universeOpen the collection
A gentle metaphor book about facing a problem instead of avoiding it. Particularly useful for children who worry, catastrophise or need help seeing that difficult things can also contain learning and possibility.
- Best for4–8
- FormatPicture
- Length36 pp
- Read aloud~7 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Literary
- Conversational
Tone
- Gentle
- Thought provoking
- Inspirational
- Warm
- Suspenseful
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
A child is followed by a problem and wants nothing to do with it. The more the child avoids it, the bigger and more threatening the problem seems to become. Eventually, instead of running away, the child turns towards it and discovers that the problem may contain something unexpected: a chance to learn, grow and see the world differently. Kobi Yamada's text gives anxiety a visible shape without overcomplicating the idea, making the book easy to use with children who feel overwhelmed by mistakes, worries or conflict. Mae Besom's illustrations make the problem loom dramatically, but not in a way that becomes too frightening. This is a strong parent, teacher and counsellor recommendation because it gives children a simple emotional script: avoidance makes problems larger, but facing them can reveal strength.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 4–8
- Read aloud · 4–9
- Independent · 6–9
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Anxiety
- Problem solving
- Growth mindset
- Emotional literacy
- Gift book
Avoid if
- Wants joke driven story
- Very sensitive to symbolic darkness
- Prefers concrete realism
Particularly good for children who are…
- Anxiety and worry
- Low self esteem
- Nightmares or fears
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Kobi Yamada's inspiring picture books about ideas, problems and courage — a wellbeing and growth-mindset favourite for read-aloud and discussion.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is the problem growing — a child being followed by something they don't want, avoiding it and watching it get bigger, finally turning to face it and discovering it contained something useful all along. The Yamada/Besom on avoidance for the catastrophising child.
- Making a difference
- Surviving danger
- Transformation
Why parents love it
The second Yamada/Besom — anxiety given visible shape without overwhelming, the avoidance-makes-it-larger script genuinely useful for kids who run from difficulty. Strong counsellor/teacher recommendation. Besom's looming-storm visuals stay just this side of frightening.
- Conversation starter
- Beautiful illustrations
- Educational for adult too
- Quick to read
In the series
What Do You Do With.
3 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
When you buy through the links above, we may earn a small commission — it never costs you more, and it never changes the books we choose. How we’re funded →