I Knew You Could! A Book for All the Stops in Your Life

Not a good book. It's a rewrite of the Little Engine that Could, and it's a far inferior product. But it's a good example of how we can add a lecture to our stories and make them worse. The funny thing is, Little Engine that Could is clearly a morality tale already, so why try to make it more obvious?

The preschool my kids go to gives the kids this book when they graduate. I then remove it from my house as quickly as possible. It is a cheesy rip-off of the Little Engine That Could that smarmily encourages kids to persevere. The Little Engine that Could imparts the same lesson without making me want to barf when I read it.

In this book, designed for all the stops in life, readers follow a train [think the Little Engine That Could] through different possibilities with a promise that the outcome can be good if they only “think they can.” Reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” it offers words of wisdom as it encourages children to travel carefully, figure things out, and trust in themselves.

It’s a perfect sharing book, one meant for parents and children to read together.

Recommended.

a. I would classify this as a picture storybook in which the story was shared through words and illustrations. The setting of this story takes place on a train track. Like any train that begins in a railyard, there are many tracks that can be taken that will go many different directions. What I liked about the plot was that it started at the end of the journey. The author exclaims from the beginning that the “Train” made it through the journey successfully. Since the journey isn’t always easy, I think knowing that it has a successful conclusion won’t have the reader or listener thinking that the journey is too difficult to complete. I would say this book is narrated in the third person, because the narration does share how the show more person will feel at times in their life as they travel the tracks of life’s journey. I feel this is a good book for many reasons. I think the reader/listener will find the story compelling. The subject matter is appropriate and the illustrations and text are appropriate for the story. As I was reading this, I felt a connection to the book as well and understood what the journey was about. The illustrations fit the content of the story and would be easily understood in a read-aloud activity. show less

This is a picture book in rhyme, each page rhymes with itself and I think this would be classified as poetry. The words are selected very effectively with constant puns and word play. This picture book would be appropriate for the primary grades. I would use this in the classroom to go off of the little engine that could, dreams, and hopes of children. Water color was used to makes its delightful pictures.

A wonderful book to encourage children to never give up. If you keep trying you will succeed. It also tells them to not rush through life take your time and enjoy the meaning of life. This is a great book to read to children to boost their confidence and show them they can do whatever they set their mind to.

I love this book! This is a great book for a graduation gift for fun; but it's also great for young children as well. I use this as the last book I read at circle time to my preschoolers. They enjoy it as well. They may not get the true meaning of it, but they love the rhyme and the pictures.