  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 04/01/2013 PreS-Gr 1—This book has very little text, but Lewin's signature breezy watercolors make any more verbiage unnecessary. A young alligator notices a sign: "Big Race Sunday." "I can win," he says. "No, you can't," says a mean-looking gator with a back-facing baseball cap. "Yes, you can," says the first gator's pink-ribboned female friend. Youngsters will take pleasure in reciting or reading the book aloud as they root for the racer, who trains-"Can so. Can so. Can so."-and trains-"Too slow. Too slow. Can't"-and trains-"I CAN do it!" Each gesture and eye movement conveys the intense drama of a young creature struggling for confidence and accomplishment. A successful easy reader from this popular author/illustrator.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 05/01/2013 This entry in the publisher’s I Like to Read series begins with two young alligators contemplating a sign posted on a tree: “Big Race Sunday.” The guy gator confides to the girl gator (so denoted by a pink bow), “I can win,” only to be told by a bully gator, “No you can’t.” So begins the boy gator’s training regimen—swimming, stretching, weight lifting, and running, all of it with his cheerleading friend right by his side. The book focuses on very few words, mostly iterations of “Cannot,” “Can so,” and “I can do it.” And, of course, at the very end: “I did it!” Easy-on-the-eyes white space surrounds the deceptively simple illustrations constructed from line drawings and a pale wash. With its common themes of self-doubt, confidence, and friendship, this charming book should be a perfect fit for preschoolers, many of whom will get to experience immediate reading success. - Copyright 2013 Booklist. Loading...
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