Betsy Lewin (illustrator of Click, Clack, Moo) uses a limited vocabulary to deliver a resounding tale of confidence-building with dynamic illustrations.
Part of the "I Like to Read" series, the story opens with two alligator friends, one wearing a pink ribbon, looking up at a sign posted on a tree announcing, "Big Race on Sunday." One of the alligators takes up the challenge: "I can win," says a speech bubble, supported by his beribboned friend. A larger alligator in a red baseball cap tells our hero he won't succeed: "No you can't," says he. "Yes, I can," the first gator responds. His friend reiterates, "Yes, you can." Our hero begins his swim training with vigor and motivation, repeating the mantra, "Can so. Can so. Can so." After intensive training, doubts creep in: "Too slow. Too slow. Can't." His supportive friend offers him a book, How to Win, that provides a regimen of exercise and positive encouragement, even as the bullying larger gator grows more emphatic ("CanNOT!").
Lewin exploits the possibilities of simple, repetitive language to show the effect of changes in emphasis with punctuation: the hero's chant, "I can do it," versus, in the middle of the race, his self-doubt, "Can I do it?" Her pen-and-inks capture the movement and determination of the hero, with a palette as limited as the words, to keep him in focus. Young readers will soon build confidence along with the dedicated hero, to tell and retell the story. --Mollie Welsh Kruger, graduate faculty, Bank Street College of Education