I Knew You Could Do It! is classic Nancy Tillman. If you know the style of Tillman, you know this book. This gives it the comfort level of knowing there will be no surprise and you know if you will like or not.
However, even if you are not a fan of Tillman’s illustrations and style of writing, there are some interesting interpretations of folktales in the art. You see Cinderella, Lion and the Mouse, Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty and more. Not every page has a fairy tale, but each page has something to “look for” on them. The story is also formatted in a fairy tale/folktale style.
There is not a lot of traditional action, therefore your active child might not be a fan, but it is full of things to see. You can see Cinderella’s Coach, spot a mouse, and see if you can figure out the fairy tale presented. Some are less known, but Tillman gives a short “answer key” in the back of the book. This could lead to you trying to find one of the stories she shows.
The book is about imagination, exploring, celebrating your everyday accomplishments as well as being a bedtime story. You could do it as a relaxing read-aloud in a one-on-one setting, but it should lend itself to a small to medium sized group. This is mostly due to the fact you need to see the illustrations as well as hear the rhyming text.
This might be a big sugary sweet for some people, and the lion was a tad odd looking in its drawing, but as a baby shower, first to fifth birthday or to someone who might need a pick me up gift, it would be perfect.
