You Can Do It, Sam

Sam Books

by Amy Hest, Anita Jeram (Illustrator)

Sam goes all by himself to deliver treats to his friends in an endearing new tale from the creators of the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller KISS GOOD NIGHT and DON'T YOU FEEL WELL, SAM?

"All by myself?" whispered Sam.
"Go, go, go!" Mrs. Bear put
her arm around Sam.
"You can do it, Sam."

It happened one winter morning, when the moon was still up, making moonbeams and shadows on Plum Street. In the little white house, Mrs. Bear and Sam were baking golden-brown cakes for their friends. "Come
on, cakes," whispered Sam. "I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait!" At last Mrs. Bear sniffed the air and said, "I believe our cakes are ready." But who will go out in the snow and carry the tasty treats to each sleepy house?

In their third story about Sam and Mrs. Bear, Amy Hest and Anita Jeram capture a child’s simple joy of giving - and a quiet moment of confidence that will warm the coldest winter day.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Christmas, Fiction, Family, Animals, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 2003

About the author

Amy Hest is a three-time winner of the Christopher Medal and winner of the BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you live on Plum Street, you are about to get a tasty surprise from Sam and Mrs. Bear. Staying snug and warm in their little house, the two get up early to mix up yummy cakes and bake them together. They let them cool and wrap them up to deliver to their neighbors. Mrs. Bear drives the truck and Sam gets to make the deliveries -- all by himself. You can do it, Sam! Kids will love the cheery winter scenes and cozy home illustrations. Watch for the cute little mice who dance on the table and share the satisfying reward after the work is done.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bear and his mother bake little cakes and deliver them to their friends like May Day baskets on a snowy morning.

Kinda boring.

So I started to imagine the deserted snowy streets were a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and Mrs. Bear had been tasked by the remaining survivors to bake them all poisoned cakes, a merciful last meal to end their suffering. Only little Sam has been left out of the plan and is excited by the deliveries and the little cake awaiting him at home.

#Fixed

[Jenn Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, colorful illustrations.
Large print, great for early readers.
A cute winter read, perfect for those in the "I can do it by myself" phase.

[Ije · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a bear called Sam who takes cakes to his friends all by himself. Set in Winter time on a street called Plum street, a little bear is excited about the cakes him mum is baking for all their friends and cannnot wait to take them to his friends (which he leaves at the doorstep for surprise). Sam has not done this by himself before and although eager,he was a little apprehensive. With gentle encouragement from his mum, who sat in the car watching, Sam was able to do it. Sam pleased at his sense of achievement and could not wait to do the rest of the houses.

This book is colourful and contains some repetitive texts and will appeal to children in reception and KS1. It could be used to encourage children who are worried about trying something new.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because my son's name is Samuel and it seemed like a it had a good message. But as someone mentioned earlier, it should have emphasized the title's message more. Plus there is a lot of redundancy in the language. It repeats irrelevant phrases or words. It's rather annoying to read. The illustrations are nice though the mother bear is wearing a green sweater and so initially, looking at the pictures, which the kids pick up on first too, I thought she was a papa bear. Just a little thing. I don't highly recommend this book.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mummy bear bakes cakes with baby bear and then distributes to neighbours. Nice messages of sharing, community and becoming increasingly independent.

[Lee]

So sweet and lovely. A soft book, and I like it dearly.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story of sharing and kindness. I also love the family bonding moment shared. I love that the author emphasized the numbers and colors.

I felt like it read strange. I didn't like some of the transitions.

I would love to live on Plum Street.

The story is really about Sam coming of age. Independence and learning that he is a "big" kid now.

[Ana LibrariAna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute wintery story about Sam and his Mom baking cakes and then delivering them to their friends as a tasty surprise.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had great potential plot wise, with a bear and his mom delivering surprise cakes to their friends, but the writing is mediocre and a bit clunky.

[Megan Smyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts out with Sam and his mother baking treats to bring to their friends on a snowy day. During their trip to drop off the baked goods, Mrs. Bear makes Sam take them to the door all by himself. He is nervous at first, but did it! At the end of their trip, there is 2 treats left and Sam and Mrs. Bear get to sit by the cozy fire inside and enjoy them while telling stories.
I think the theme of this book is responsibility, because Sam's mom is trusting him to deliver the gifts through the snow by himself.
I liked the illustration of the book and I defiantly think it is meant for younger kids.
I would recommend this book to kids who are starting to talk, but I did not think it was filled with a lot of lessons that could be easily taken and older kids might find it boring.

[T.M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly don't like leaving bad reviews, but this book is my least favourite of all the hundreds of books on my kids' shelves.

Every now and then one of my children chooses this and every single time I am astounded at how badly written it is.

This is the level of storytelling you get in You Can Do It, Sam:

I read this book to my son at bedtime in our house on Plum Street. The sun was setting on Plum Street and my son was about to go to bed. My son had his pyjamas on and he was feeling tired. After the story, he went to bed and snuggled his teddy. Then, he went to sleep in our house on Plum Street.

I just don't understand how anyone can love this book.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One winter morning, Sam and Mrs. Bear are making cakes. Twelve cakes in all. When they are ready, Sam puts each of them into a red bag. Together, Sam and his mother set out to deliver the cakes to all their friends on Plum Street. But when they reach the first house, Mrs. Bear tells Sam to take the cake to the door . . . all by himself. Can Sam do it?

Charming, colorful illustrations accompany the simple text in this delightful book. Young readers, encouraged by Sam, will learn about bravery and generosity. It’s a perfect picture book for sharing.

Recommended.

[Špela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Za oceno 4 sem se odločila, ker je vse skupaj nekoliko hecno.

Všeč mi je počasnost zgodbe. Nekaj stavkov se ponavlja, kar paše k pravljicam.

Zelo mi je všeč, da sta v glavnih vlogah 2 medveda in dosežek malega medveda me je osupnil.

Je pa res tudi, da je zgodba po eni strani kar malo (milo rečeno) nenavadna in nekoliko (bolj grobo rečeno) dolgočasna. Kljub temu je napisana v tako dobrem pravljičnem tonu, da ta ton preglasi šibko zgodbo. Tudi ime Poldek pomaga (bolj pogosto ime bi hitro bolj poudarilo tiste, ne tako všečne plati te zgodbe).

[Logan Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grade: 2-3
This is a fun book about a mom and her son and delivering cakes to friends. This shows a great relationship between a mom and a son and how they work together to give a special treat to their neighbors. It would help kids learn responsibility by teaching about doing things on their own and also the importance of a relationship with a parent. I chose modern fantasy because they are bears and they talk.

[Kaylee Klaassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grade Range: K - 2nd

I love this book! The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and very well done! I love that Mrs. Bear encourages Sam to be brave and deliver the cakes to his friends all by himself! I also like at the end when Mrs. Bear and Sam are sitting in the warm house enjoying each others company and each eating their own cake! This is a great book and encourages kids to be brave and try things on their own!

[David Streever · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm used to live editing books for H (changing pronouns, trimming derogatory comments about appearance, mild copy editing and cleanup), but this is a mess.

It's like no one bothered to edit it at all - the sentences have no flow, the language is redundant and hard to follow, it's just a mess - it's not that hard to write clean copy and develop a rhythm/momentum

[Christine.Newmanbetheluniversityedu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Fiction Grade: PreK-2
This is a really cute book with cute pictures. I like that it's a story about a Momma Bear that lets her son do a big chore on his own and the fact that it about doing something nice for others. It is a cute book to read to children about the Christmas Holiday to spread some cheer of giving.

[Karli Schram · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book itself was very simple, but had cute illustrations. The concept of responsibility is easy understood, and would be a fantastic read for those little ones who need a boost of confidence when wanting to show initiative to help out!

[Christine Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam and his mother make cakes to give to all of their friends. Once the cakes are bagged they take their truck out to make the deliveries. Sam must deliver all of the cakes by himself. And he does! Sweet story, but a little boring.

[Jabnia Toxcoyoa]

About this moment and son that make cakes on a snowy day. They go around town delivering these cakes have that their friends would love their cakes especially during a clod snowy day. Demonstrate care and mindfulness about friends.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars--This is a gentle, holiday-themed story about a little bear who helps his mom surprise the neighbors with freshly-baked cakes on Christmas morning. The writing style was repetitive and clunky--perhaps this was done to help beginning readers remember certain words and phrases.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

One very early morning om Plum Street, Mrs. Bear and Sam were baking cakes for their neighbors and friends, and when the cakes finished baking it was time to deliver them, and that's when Sam showed what he could do.

[Juliette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet book about giving (no holidays mentioned, so can fit any winter theme) and a little independence.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations, nice story too! Highly recommended for Logos Library. Preschool-Kindergarten

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam and Mommy Bear make lots of cakes for the neighbors. On their fun outing to deliver them, Sam learns about independence and what he can do for himself. A cute little cozy read.

[Y.Poston]

cute

[Zazie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. I recommend to your kiddos. I'm sure they'll enjoy it and that's what matters.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book

[TCNS]

Sam and his mom make cakes for their friends on Plum St. in the winter.