Problem Solved!

by Jan Thomas

Rabbit hopes Pete the Problem-Solving Porcupine can get her out of a bind only to wind up with more issues than she started with in this hilarious and relatable picture book.

Rabbit has a problem! Her room is a mess. Luckily, Pete the Problem-Solving Porcupine shows up just in time. He can save the day! Except…things don’t go quite to plan, and Rabbit realizes that Pete may actually be a problem- causer ! Can Rabbit find a way to solve this unexpected new dilemma before chaos ensues?

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Storytime, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

Published August 29, 2023

About the author

When Jan Thomas isn't working on children's books, she's painting pictures, playing the drums, backpacking, or wrangling dust bunnies.

Reviews

[Sarah BT]

A very silly reverse psychology story about cleaning up your messes.

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would have been better, in my opinion, if the hedgehog (or porcupine?) was actually doing everything on purpose to actually solve the problem. I thought that's where it was going. But no, they were just a complete moron like the bunny thought...

[Amy Oberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for your next book to read aloud? *"Problem Solved!"*

Thomas' latest release is a laugh-out-loud tale of two unlikely friends working cooperatively to accomplish a task. As Porcupine comes up with creative (but impractical) steps to clean up Rabbit's room, Rabbit gently redirects him and tackles the large project, one step at a time. The unique ending is sure to surprise listeners/readers, and I hope Rabbit and Porcupine reappear in future stories!

Publication Date: 2024
Format: Picture book
Elements: Bold illustrations with varied typefaces (bold for emphasis); dialogue bubbles; illustrations that vary in terms of perspective; repetitive refrain ("problem solved")
Connection/Topics: Problem solving, task completion; animals-as-friends; humor; cleaning room/tackling responsibilities

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Porcupine Pete - you're problem solving pal! Unfortunately, Pete's solutions leave Rabbit a bit flustered. The true problem is - Rabbit's room is a mess. Pete's solutions prompt Rabbit to do the work that needs to be done - but they are frustrating. Fortunately, Rabbit figures out how to solve ALL of his problems.
I love Jan Thomas books! They make great read-alouds for classroom and story time.
I think this will prompt a lot of good discussion about all the different ways we can try to solve our problems.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hilarious picture book is perfect for Storytime. A bunny has a problem and Porcupine Pete think he’s just the guy to solve it. Unfortunately Pete isn’t the most practical problem solver. Readers will laugh at Porcupine Pete’s antics and love correcting his silly ideas. The spare text is all dialogue which lends itself well to a fun read aloud. The illustrations are bright and bold. The problem is relatable to the preschool audience. An absolutely read aloud gem and one of my favorites of 2023.

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book ten stars if I could. Jan Thomas is always wacky and hilarious! An unfortunate rabbit cannot hop in his room because it's too messy. A problem solving porcupine appears, and helps the rabbit clean up his room. He takes the blocks all over the floor and piles them into a tower, and then tries to flush them down the toilet. It turns out the porcupine isn't as great a helper as the rabbit had hoped. In the end the rabbit encourages the porcupine to head to Mars to solve problems there.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can always count on Jan Thomas for a laugh-out-loud funny picture book that is great to share with a crowd. This would be an excellent story time book for preschoolers or toddlers and a fun one to read over and over at home as well. The problems are relatable for kids, and the solutions are so silly that kids will definitely be engaged. I also like that even though Porcupine Pete is a little silly, Rabbit's problems still get solved in the end.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Porcupine Pete is Rabbit's Problem-Solving Porcupine! Rabbit can't hop all over his room because of the mess, so Pete helps him out. At first his ideas sound really good, but then they become ridiculous and messier than what Rabbit had before. Rabbit ends up having to properly put away all of his mess, leading to the problem solving itself. Pete's solutions are very funny! Jan Thomas has made another good one. Worked well in preschool storytime.

[Anika Prakash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Problem Solved is another one of quirky book by Jan Thomas, which talks about a rather unconventional ways of keeping the room clean, for the character of rabbit, by the problem solver Porcupine Pete. I loved reading it to the younger kids and got a laugh or two. I would say its a really funny book, about either owning and working on the our mess, or rather not having it at all :)

I also loved the illustrations and how they strike out, with facial expressions and the color combinations.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In typical Jan Thomas style, bold illustrations and lots of dialogue bubbles tell the story of Rabbit, who has a huge problem, and Pete the Porcupine, who tries to solve it for her. Pete's solutions, however, are a bit unorthodox, and Rabbit has to go behind him cleaning up her own messes. It's a clever story that will make readers laugh at the silliness. Great for story time if speech bubbles don't bother you!

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jan Thomas books! I had no idea what to expect with this one, but I should have known it would make me laugh!
Rabbit has a problem - his room is a mess! But never fear, Porcupine Pete, the problem-solving porcupine is here! However Porcupine Pete's way of cleaning is a bit different than Rabbit's!
Kids will laugh at this one!

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbit, whose cluttered home no longer has space to "hippity hoppity," gets help from Problem-Solving Porcupine Pete, whose problem-solving strategies are comically unconventional.

Everything you want and love in a Jan Thomas book: easy-to-read text and speech bubbles combine with over-the-top animal antics and vibrant color-block art for a fun story with a satisfying final twist.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Jan Thomas is so funny--I feel like kids think it's so funny correcting caregivers/readers when they guess the wrong thing. Though perhaps porcupines suggestion of flushing the toys down the toilet might give kids some bad ideas! (or it would be a good chance to discuss why we don't do that!)

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What joy there is when a brand new Jan Thomas book arrives at the library!

Oh, this one is so great! Some nice reverse-psychology with the humor and a twist ending. I think I need to own this one for myself.

Storytime Themes: Surprise, Cleaning Up, The Letter "P"

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jan Thomas is one of my favorite authors! Her books are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers and provide such fun reading experiences. This was not my favorite but the absurd solutions and illustrations will make children laugh.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and silly illustrations & text for this new picture book. The title would be a fun repetitive phrase if you read this aloud to a group of kids and they could be included in saying “problem solved”.

[MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another silly and fun story by Jan Thomas. This one may take a little explaining to the younger audience, but it could be fun in a storytime or classroom. Especially if you are looking at a storymap with climate, problem, and solution.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An added treat for this book is that it was ready by a children's librarian extraordinaire! I could see how kids would want to react to some of this, and wonder how easily they would realize that porcupine was smart in actually having rabbit do the work.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pete the Problem-Solving Porcupine is not as helpful as Rabbit hoped.

[Beth Almquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The silliest picture books are always the best picture books.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Jan Thomas book to read PROBLEM SOLVED for me!

[GS Dachslove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly take on problem solving

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute! Love Jan Thomas so much. This will be fun in storytime.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbit's room is a mess, and he thinks it's a problem. When Porcupine Pete arrives to help him solve his problem, Rabbit soon discovers that the only problem he has is Pete.

[Steph]

Turn/Level: 2/2

Problem Solving

The bad way.

[Emily Haage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jan Thomas' books are always great read-alouds! This would be a fun read-aloud for a story time about problem solving; a silly segue into a more serious topic.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

It really doesn't get better than Jan Thomas. The illustrations are simple but catchy and the humor is always on point! Another great storytime preschool read aloud!

[Colorado Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting way to convince your kid that they need to clean up their own messes. I was not that impressed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can always count on Jan Thomas for a silly fun story, and this is no exception.

[Sera · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, but not as funny as I'd hoped.