I Can Do It Myself!

by Diane Adams, Nancy Hayashi (Illustrator)

Overview

Emily Pearl can do lots of things by herself. But sometimes even resourceful little girls need help.

Emily Pearl is a very big girl. She can pour her own juice. She can feed her goldfish. She can even curl her own hair. Whenever her mother tries to help, Emily says, "I can do it myself!" Emily Pearl's creative approach does sometimes lead to results that are not quite what anyone expected.

But even a very big girl like Emily can sometimes feel a teeny bit small, especially at bedtime when dark shadows creep across the walls of her bedroom. Luckily for Emily, her mom understands and gives her a helping hand.

Diane Adams' delightful, rhyming story of one child's determined quest for independence is complemented by Nancy Hayashi's charming illustrations that colorfully capture the chaotic ups and downs in the life of a preschooler.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561457250
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	08/06/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

A graduate of the University of Redlands, Diane Adams has is the author of several picture books and a professor of children's literature and expository writing at a university in Southern California

Nancy Hayashi grew up in Ohio, graduated from Denison University, and worked as a designer and art director. The illustrator of several picture books, she lives in California.

Editorial Reviews

"The interplay between art and text will work well for the group reader who can enjoy the spontaneous giggles that will erupt at storytime."—Kirkus Reviews

"With rounded forms and muted hues, the watercolor, ink, and colored-pencil artwork illustrates the story in pleasant, sometimes witty pictures."—Booklist

"Both for storytimes and one-on-one sharing, this tale is told in a fresh, yet familiar way."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Emily Pearl is just big enough to terrorize the household with her can-do attitude: "And if just for one second her mom tries to help, / Emily says, 'I can do it myself!' " As in this simple refrain, approximate and exact rhymes roll rhythmically along while Hayashi's watercolor, pen and colored-pencil art tells the real story. The text treats Emily as if she were the big girl she thinks she is, while the illustrations reveal a loving environment where a wise (and sometimes exasperated) mother allows her confident daughter to learn. Emily begins pouring herself juice through a funnel into a glass, uses a toilet-paper roll and clothespins to curl her hair, plays trombone upside down, delivers cat food on the back of her fast-moving remote-control car, until bedtime, when the shadows fall and she welcomes Mom's hug and a good story. The interplay between art and text will work well for the group reader who can enjoy the spontaneous giggles that will erupt at storytime or for one-on-one in-the-lap fun. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews