When I picked up this slim volume purporting to provide "practical, realistic advice that is guaranteed to help" (emphasis mine), I was definitely skeptical. But when I read it from cover to cover, I was certainly impressed.

Poelle begins with some background on child development and temperament traits, providing refresher information for seasoned professionals and introducing these topics to non-experts such as first-time parents or caregivers. She does this using language that is simple (but doesn't talk down to readers) and nonjudgmental, explaining how different parenting/teaching styles may affect children's development.

Poelle goes on to offer step-by-step solutions that can be helpful in a variety of situations, not just the problematic behavior of biting (i.e., pushing, hitting, or general bickering/not sharing). Solutions run the gamut from changing the environment (i.e., offering "cozy corners" where children can be alone or have some peace) to using dramatic play to represent the situation (for example, putting on a puppet show where one puppet bites another and needs to be taught what to do instead, complete here with a sample script) to giving children the words they need to express their feelings (and Poelle literally gives the adults the words to give to the children).

After setting up this background, Poelle provides some case studies, which explain in detail the problematic behavior of children of different ages, with varying temperaments and in a variety of group care settings. She then lays out the "action plan" developed by the adults in the situation, thus providing concrete examples that may be helpful for the readers to use in their own situations.

The book is rounded out with a number of appendices that include a pocket guide for responding to biting situations, templates for action plans, and more. References and an index are also handy tools that are included here.

All in all, this book is a rare one in which I'm sad that I chose to take it out from the library instead of buying my own copy. I found myself taking all kinds of notes throughout because there was so much useful information here for myself and my colleagues to be reminded of / implement in our classrooms. ( )