Customer Reviews

You Can Do It, Sam (Sam Books)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We bought this book three years ago and my kids (4 yrs. and 7 yrs.) still love to read/hear it. I was surprised to see two reviewers describe the text as awkward and "strangely repetitive." The text is repetitive, but it's poetic and emphasizes certain concepts. Typically children like repetition of words and themes. Regarding a previous reviewer's comments about spending more time on the "you can do it" aspect, I'd argue that the part about mama bear and her little cub working together to bake and prepare the packages is as important to the story as the actual delivery. What's not to like about a mom spending time with her son and teaching him how to serve his neighbors? The text of this book is charming and the illustrations are beautiful. We own all three Sam books and regularly give them as gifts. I highly recommend the entire series.

This book has many odd semi-repeating phrases. They are difficult to read silently, let alone out loud to your toddler. My husband and I are regular, everyday readers and we love to read to our daughter. However, this particular book was very difficult to find a rhythm or safe pace to read with. The illustrations are sweet.

Although the illustrations in this book are nice, I find the text halting and rather repetitive in a strange way, making it hard to read. The text, as the professional review suggested, is not fluid at all. I think they could have spent less time talking about baking the cookies and put more emphasis on the "you can do it" aspect. I don't really enjoy reading it to my son and he doesn't seem to prefer it over any other books.

This is a great read-aloud story. The text has a nice cadence to it, in the mold of Margaret Wise Brown (Goodnight Moon Big Book and Big Red Barn Big Book), and it holds up well to repeated readings. It is a nice little tale about Sam overcoming his fear of walking up to the neighbors' houses all by himself to deliver holiday cakes. The snowy scene and the warm ending eating cakes in front of the fire bring a peaceful setting just right for bedtime. And the illustrations work great.

Bear cub Sam's Mom spends a snowy morning teaching him the importance of acts of kindness. Baking little cakes, then wrapping and delivering them to unsuspecting neighbors (who are probably still abed) forms the nucleus of this little adventure. Sam learns a little something about competence, and that generosity comes with its own reward, in a beautiful, cozy, snowy landscape. My three year old granddaughter was entranced yesterday when we read this together. So was I!

As some of the others who reviewed this book said, this is a very sweet story with great illustrations, but an extremely awkward-to-read-aloud text. I find myself making up new wording for every page each time I read it to my daughter because the flow of the text and dialogue is so strange.

"You Can Do It, Sam" is a terrific bedtime story for preschoolers. My four year old loves this story; a story about a bear named Sam who could deliver special treats to his friends on Plum Street all by himself! It's nice to find quality children's literature and not always easy to do.

Sam and his mama are great characters any young child can enjoy and even relate to. This book is a great read and my children have loved all of them, so now I'm purchasing them years later for my own nieces children. Buy it! You won't regret it.

This book is recommended for children aged 2 and up. It is ideal for the upcoming winter season. This book is published by Candlewick Press, which I have a fondness for because they are located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Sam is a young bear that is given the task of delivering delicious cakes to the doors of each of the their friends. He is nervous at first but after the first one his confidence soars and he continues to deliver the cakes with enthusiasm. This is a great story for any small child that is learning to do things on their own. To see how happy and excited Sam is when he achieves the task will inspire confidence in the little reader.

The illustrations are superb. I really like how Sam is portrayed taking large steps through the deep snow. The detail is also great showing birds here and there and great embellishments in the background. Any child will love to read this book no matter what time of day it is. The read aloud factor is great and children will sit in anticipation as each page turns.

ahgooreview.com

Cutest look. My son,who is 4, jumped out of the car at first time carpool and said " I can do it-- just like Sam!!" I use the " you can do it" phrase all the time since enjoying this book. Beautiful illustrations, too!!