I Can Do It Too!

March 1, 2003
In I Can Do It Too! by Karen Baicker, illus. by Ken Wilson-Max, a simple rhyming text and the artist's signature bold, bright colors outlined with thick black brushstrokes appear on heavy cardstock pages. A girl shouts the titular refrain as she emulates the activities of the adults around her, such as pouring juice or riding a bike (or, in her case, a trike), gaining confidence even if she doesn't always do everything perfectly.

June 1, 2003
PreS-Young children are continually faced with challenging developmental milestones, and this affirming read-aloud offers lots of encouragement. In simple rhymes, an African-American child describes the actions of her extended family members, friends, and neighbors and adds an enthusiastic "I can do it too!" response to each activity. Colorful, full-page illustrations show her pouring juice like Dad, holding a book like Grandpa, putting on clothes like her big sister, etc. Preschoolers are likely to repeat the catchy title refrain. A good choice for toddler collections.-Ajoke T. I. Kokodoko, Oakland Public Library, CA

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2003
PreS. Nothing is complicated here; just a pure story line and kid-friendly artwork that zero in on a child's mastery of the everyday. A young African American girl, bows dotting her hair, narrates the text. Each spread informs the listener what some member of the narrator's family can do (Daddy pours the juice, Grandma bakes, etc.), followed by a tag line that children will respond to, "I can do it too!" The bold art brings the characters up close, with the adults on the left-hand side of the page and the girl on the right (except for one picture of two children together). Children who look closely will notice that the little girl doesn't always do things perfectly (juice spills, buttons are done up crookedly), but her enthusiasm is contagious. The pictures, in Wilson-Max's signature style, have the look of kids' artwork, but the perspectives and colors are unobtrusively sophisticated. A winner for perusing alone or reading at storytimes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2003
A series of rhymes about various family members' abilities are paired with a young African-American girl's triumphant cry of "I can do it too!" and corresponding images of her proudly pouring juice (although she spills some), etc. This is preschooler manna: Wilson-Max's mural-like illustrations, exhibiting brush strokes reminiscent of a child's first tempera-paint attempts, perfectly capture the girl's justifiably outsize delight.

(Copyright 2003 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)