You Can Do It!

March 15, 2013
Channeling the can-do attitude of a certain little engine, Lewin's alligator comes out on top with some help from his friend and despite the bullying of another gator. Limited, repetitive text invites new readers to adopt the same spirit of determination about reading that the protagonist alligator does about swimming when he confidently tells his friend, "I can win" after they spy a sign reading "Big Race Sunday" posted on a tree. His self-assurance is challenged by a bigger, scowling alligator wearing a red cap, who snarls, "No, you can't." Bickering leads to the bully shoving the littler gator, and then a spread showing the friend (who wears a pink bow on her head to distinguish her from the others), who says, "Yes, you can." She encourages her friend as he practices for the race even while the antagonist continues to say "CANNOT," and our hero perseveres. When the day of the big race arrives, the good guy does finish first, rejoicing, "I did it!" dripping wet and wearing his first-place medal, while his proud friend looks on. Throughout, Lewin's restrained watercolor-and-ink artwork matches the control of the text, providing ample, white resting space for the eyes while delivering engaging and expressive characters. Subtle shifts in the placement of speech balloons provide humor while helping children decode. A winner of an early reader. (Early reader. 5-7)

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April 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 1-This book has very little text, but Lewin's signature breezy watercolors make any more verbiage unnecessary. A young alligator notices a sign: "Big Race Sunday." "I can win," he says. "No, you can't," says a mean-looking gator with a back-facing baseball cap. "Yes, you can," says the first gator's pink-ribboned female friend. Youngsters will take pleasure in reciting or reading the book aloud as they root for the racer, who trains-"Can so. Can so. Can so."-and trains-"Too slow. Too slow. Can't"-and trains-"I CAN do it!" Each gesture and eye movement conveys the intense drama of a young creature struggling for confidence and accomplishment. A successful easy reader from this popular author/illustrator.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2013
Preschool This entry in the publisher's I Like to Read series begins with two young alligators contemplating a sign posted on a tree: Big Race Sunday. The guy gator confides to the girl gator (so denoted by a pink bow), I can win, only to be told by a bully gator, No you can't. So begins the boy gator's training regimenswimming, stretching, weight lifting, and running, all of it with his cheerleading friend right by his side. The book focuses on very few words, mostly iterations of Cannot, Can so, and I can do it. And, of course, at the very end: I did it! Easy-on-the-eyes white space surrounds the deceptively simple illustrations constructed from line drawings and a pale wash. With its common themes of self-doubt, confidence, and friendship, this charming book should be a perfect fit for preschoolers, many of whom will get to experience immediate reading success.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)