I Can Do It! product reviews

Miss Five and Mr Four were beyond excited when they got this book to review with me because they already knew the song! It had come up on a list of YouTube recommendations, and since the family knows that Kath Bee and Suzy Cato are a winning combination when it comes to writing catchy children's songs with a strong positive meaning, the song was duly downloaded. There is an instruction on the book cover about accessing the song link, but for once this was not needed. The children already knew the words and tune so could sing along as they read. What a great way to match familiar words with their written equivalents!

Mr Four enjoyed the fun illustrations. He is just starting to think more critically as he actually thought a couple were a bit silly - the cow on the swing, for example. and the children dressed up as a cow. Nevertheless, these pictures made him laugh. He was especially impressed when the book suddenly turned on its side and he had to move the page so he could see the picture. That was particularly funny, He has a lovely sense of humour and it is delightful to watch his reactions.

Miss Five responded to the themes of resilience and perseverance. Being slightly older, she has a more mature approach when she is presented with a new book. It is amazing to see the difference in development over a few short months in a child's life; there is a noticeable contrast in the way the two children respond to different ideas despite their being so close in age, Since learning the song, and then reading the book, Miss Five has been singing "I Can Do It, I Can Do it!" to herself as she attempts to acquire new skills. Her latest new ability is learning to ride her bike without training wheels - a huge challenge!

We loved the detail in some of the pictures - the wings on one child's back, the wooden signpost that cannot quite decide which way to point, the new stone bird bath. And so many more! Even without the song and the printed words, the illustrations tell a powerful story of imagination and possibilities which would appeal to any child.

The basic message of the book is one of empowerment through self-confidence. The children in the illustrations are all physically different, representing different races, body shapes, and physical abilities so that young readers can identify with them more readily. There is no one "normal" child that the readers might feel they have to aspire to be. One of the children even has a crutch. We did not see anyone wearing glasses, but one of the cows wears sunglasses if that counts!

My children absolutely love to read books, and recently Mr 7 has become able to read by himself for the majority, however when he was starting to learn how to read, I constantly heard the phrase "I can't do it, it's too hard" however he persevered. When I saw this book called "I Can Do It!' I thought it would be a good book to read together to solidify the fact that trying your best is all you need to do, and teaching the junior class in our rural school there are several children lacking confidence in some areas, and I think they would benefit from this story also.

Ever since I was a young child, I had grown up watching Suzy Cato on the television and had visited her set, so seeing a book cowritten by her I was quite excited to read it. The front cover illustrations seem quite mellow in colours but show some children doing some fun activities, such as skateboarding and swinging, both activities that take practice and confidence to master. The illustrations throughout the book are beautiful and full of detail and show children having fun with their peers and animals. The storyline of the book flows well and the theme of being proud to be you, and trying your best, but also not being afraid to ask for help comes across loud and clear.

This story started off as a song written by Suzy Cato and Kath Bee, and while reading the story I did find myself singing the repetitive phrases in the book, there is a note on the front cover stating that the song is available to stream or download, but also on the inner cover it gives a site to visit to get some colouring pages.

I recommend this book to parents of young children, and I am gladly donating this book to our little primary school to help the young children there.