You Can Do It! (I Like to Read) (I Like to Read Books) by Betsy Lewin

I Like to Read

by Betsy Lewin

There's a big race on Sunday-- but can a little crocodile triumph?  Find out in this Level B story, simple enough for young readers to read on their own.

The crocodile is hopeful, but when a bigger, mean crocodile tells him there's no chance, he starts to wonder if he's good enough.

But with a little motivation from his friend, and a lot of practice and hard work, he's ready to prove himself when the big race comes around! 

Using simple text and lots of sight words, Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Betsy Lewin has created a story about determination-- and the importance of support from your friends!  The easy-to-read story is accompanied by energetic ink and watercolor illustrations, adding interest and detail to the narrative, showcasing the little crocodile's practice and the shared joy of his triumph.

The award-winning  I Like to Read® series focuses on guided reading levels A through G, based upon Fountas and Pinnell standards.  Acclaimed author-illustrators--including winners of Caldecott, Theodor Seuss Geisel, and Coretta Scott King honors—create original, high quality illustrations that support comprehension of simple text and are fun for kids to read with parents, teachers, or on their own!

Level B readers feature short sentences with high-frequency words, for kindergarten readers who've mastered Level A and are ready to build more fluency.  The illustrations provide clues to word meanings. When you've mastered these simple stories, move on to level C!

A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

Paperback

First published January 7, 2013

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read to a small child before they compete in any event! So often we fail to instill confidence in our children - or we try to 'give' them a type of confidence we think they need. Books like this will help young children understand that confidence is a process; and they have to work hard to find it.

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for beginning readers, just enough repetition to make them feel successful and reward their efforts and lots of illustrations to help them decode the situation. There is one nasty guy who is mr. put down, but that just reinforces the young alligator's determination, with the help of an encouraging friend. Lots of action here and lots of effort, which pays off in the end. The illustrations are warm and give a good sense of personality to each of the participants (alligators). Lots of appeal.

[Emerson and Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The protagonist is an alligator who thinks about competing in a race (a swimming race, of course). The local bully tells him he cannot do it. His friend (an alligator with a pink bow) encourages him and provides him with the appropriate tools (an alligator swim training book) and lots of positive thinking.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great early reader. There are only about 25 different words used throughout the book so would be very manageable for a very early reader, especially with help. Plus, the concept is simple, but entertaining enough to encourage them to keep going.

[Whole And · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiration and simple story to encourage children when they feel or are told they cannot achieve something that may seem difficult, such as the swimming race this crocodile thinks he cannot do. With some loving words and excellent effort, he does in fact improve his skills and win.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about positive attitudes and perseverance for kids. Yes!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just right for beginning readers. This would be great for kids to practice and put on a puppet show or do for Reader's Theater.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sydney read this WHOLE book! She was thrilled....

[Marina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story didn't have much variation from using just the words in the title. Good for a beginning reader to read out loud but it wasn't very fun for an accomplished reader to read.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beginning reader loves it!

[Joella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two young gators see a sign posted to a tree that says “Big Race Sunday.” One of the alligators tells the other that “I can win.” But then comes along a bigger gator that says “No, you can’t.” Then comes the back and forth of believing in yourself and having the positive influence of friends versus the negative bullying of the bigger alligator. Of course the practice and dedication eventually pay off more than the brute size.

Even though this only has a few words (mostly “Can so” and “I can do it” or “No you can’t”) there is quite a lot implied in the illustrations as to what is really happening. And the message of positive thinking (and positive friends) is basically the whole message of the book. It is almost as if this is a remake of The Little Engine that Could but just with friends and hard work. The message does hit you over the head just a little bit, but I think kids who like alligators or fun short stories will like it anyway.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beginning readers will gain confidence from the repeated words in this simple book while also enjoying the positive message of self-affirmation ["I can do it!" (unpaged)]and the many illustrations of an alligator determined to push himself to compete in and win a race. The pen and ink line and watercolor wash illustrations show how hard it can be to stand up to someone larger than yourself and how tempting it is to quit once you start a task that seems almost overwhelming. I love how the author/illustrator traces the alligator's progress as well as the endpapers with the little alligator tumbling about them.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

October 2019 - the first read through took a long time. Ben is still hesitant to sound out words, even when he knows his letter sounds, but we pushed through and just like the alligator, he could declare at the end "I did it!" The next night was a lot faster, and then he was sitting down to read it to himself while I made dinner! The text is very repetitive and ideal for a super-beginning reader. The only thing that tripped up Ben was the san-serif capitals on the cover and in one interior illustration (a book titled How to Win) - the capital I looks like a lower-case L.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 3 out of 5]

The I Like to Read series is so lovely. Young readers will enjoy the repetition of "One...two... I can do it!" by a very determined young alligator. One issue, though, is the fact that both the bully and the encouraging female friend have similarly colored accessories on their heads, making it difficult to differentiate them at first.

[Sunrise (Brit) · Rating 1 out of 5]

20% = 1 Star

"You Can Do It!"

That's the entirety of this book. You can easily test out the premise without buying/reading the book by just telling the children in your life, "You can do it!" and see if its effective. I will say that the child I read this with didn't enjoy it, but all children are different!

[Maddypictures]

So simple. In the same category as "Mine's the Best" with an entire story being told with a vocabulary of less than 25 words. An appealing beginning reader, with alligators warming up on the endpages.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

The crocodile wants to win the race. He tries all the while telling himself "you can do it"...that is pretty much the ENTIRE book. Don't bother with this one. There are better pictures books out there about sticking to your dreams and never giving up.

[Jean-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for an emergent reader. Mostly sight words they can read. It makes them feel like a reading rockstar. :-)

[Jodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that is appropriate for beginner readers. Very simple text and easy to follow. Could be used in classrooms as a way to show bullying and what it could look like.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using very sparse text, Lewin uses speech bubbles to tell this story of an alligator who wonders if he can win a race.

[Denise Menger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Limited Vocabulary ~15 words
Hard work and determination

[Chinook · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see the value of the repetitive sentences for early readers, but I guess we prefer a bit more story to our books.

[Rachel Roque · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good book to have your early readers start reading. I feel like it has a really nice message to read, which is pretty much just not giving up when other people tell you that you can’t do it. I feel like some children need that confidence boost Someone to tell them that they can’t do it. As well as shows you that to do some thing that you don’t think you can do you have to work hard. You don’t just wake up and be good at something. I would definitely read this book in my classroom for any exam or anything that the kids are having trouble with accomplishing or even feeling at doubt.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An alligator is preparing for a race and tells his friend he can do it. She encourages him that yes, he can! A bully tries to convince him that he can't do it. This story shows all the preparation the alligator does so that he is ready for the race which he is determined to win. Nicely illustrated story that shows the reader to ignore the negative and discouraging voices.

[Azy Ivester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this book! You Can Do It is simple and intentional teaching younger children the power of encouragement and giving older children a reminder of the power words we use can have! Short and sweet the power of language and encouragement is HUGE!

[Becca Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a great book for children learning how to read! It has fun illustrations and would be a great read aloud book for children. The main message is you can do anything you put your mind to!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

an extremely repetitive book word wise with the words I can and you can't repeat it over and over and over ad nauseam. An alligator is trying to win a race but the big bully alligator says he can't. But his friend says he can.

[Sarah Riggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a great message about believing in yourself. This book doesn't have much to it, but it could be beneficial for kindergarten students.

[Cleyton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent book. This book has some good affirmations for young children. This book also can teach young children about healthy competition and how to interact with other kids.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title is reminiscent of The Little Engine That Could. Using only a few repetitious phrases and explicit watercolor illustrations, it tells the story of an alligator eager to try out for a race, despite the negative comments of a bully-gator. “Can’t”, “can” and “cannot” are used throughout as the alligator trains for the race and is encouraged by his female alligator friend (distinguished from the other two by her pink bow). The ending is predictable and satisfying. Pre- and beginning readers will easily “read” the book aloud. It is an upbeat and positive story for youngsters and offers easy lessons in determination, self-assurance, hard work and achievement. It’s an ideal choice for beginning readers and reading aloud.