I Can! Can You? [School & Library Binding]

Carol Madden Adorjan (Author), Miriam Nerlove (Author), Abby Levine (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A little girl tells what her older sister is able to do that she cannot, but then she relates what she can do, which gets to be more every day.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-- An understated rhyming story about two sisters, one of whom appears to be three or four and the other about seven or eight. Some of their everyday activities are told and contrasted: "Someone I know/ can make up her bed/ with no lumps in the spread./ I can't./ Someone I know/ can put things away/before going to play/ I can." On the left-hand pages, the older sister is seen reading, displaying perfectly tied shoes, using paste neatly, and staying up past eight o'clock. The right-hand pages feature the smaller sibling's accomplishments: putting toys away, buttoning her jacket, painting a picture, and being thoughtfully quiet in the early morning. Simple, flat watercolors predominate in roses, purples, golds, greens, and blues, showing the girls enjoying each other, family, and friends. The low-key illustrations echo the wistful tone of the story; the upbeat ending indicates that the younger child is constantly increasing her prowess, but no unrealistic promises are made that she will equal all of her sister's successes. A smooth, usefully didactic read-aloud that invites participation among younger siblings, emphasizing the many skillful things they can do now and will do later, with practice and patience. --Patricia Pearl, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Nerlove is an Albert Whitman author.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 21 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co (November 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807534919
• ISBN-13: 978-0807534915
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,807,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, motivating book for little ones., April 22, 2010

By 

C. Copinga (Utah) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Can! Can You? (School & Library Binding)

I read this book to my children when they were young and when they had children of their own, they reminded each other of it and how they wished they had it for their own kids. They could still quote it. It teaches in tiny tidbits of appreciating everyone's accomplishments and understanding that we all have things we can do very well. Great for the youngest ones in the family who think they can't do anything.
"Someone I know can win first place in a running race; I can't, can you? But someone I know can lose that race with a smile on her face, I CAN, can you? Someone I know can stay up as late as a quarter past eight; I can't, Can you? But, someone I know can get up with the sun and not wake anyone, I CAN, can you?" I think, if pressed I could quote the whole book. I bought it for my grandkids and they love it as much as their parents did!