You Can Do It, Sam
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Overview
Sam goes all by himself to deliver treats to his friends in an endearing new tale from the creators of the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller KISS GOOD NIGHT and DON'T YOU FEEL WELL, SAM?
"Little ones will find this both a suitable precursor to nap time and a spur to be brave and act generously — just like Sam." — BOOKLIST
When Mrs. Bear and little Sam deliver the cakes they have made for their friends in the neighborhood, Sam carries the cakes all by himself, through the snow and up to the front doors.
Synopsis
Sam goes all by himself to deliver treats to his friends in an endearing new tale from the creators of the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller KISS GOOD NIGHT and DON'T YOU FEEL WELL, SAM?
"All by myself?" whispered Sam.
"Go, go, go!" Mrs. Bear put her arm around Sam.
"You can do it, Sam."
It happened one winter morning, when the moon was still up, making moonbeams and shadows on Plum Street. In the little white house, Mrs. Bear and Sam were baking golden-brown cakes for their friends. "Come on, cakes," whispered Sam. "I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait!" At last Mrs. Bear sniffed the air and said, "I believe our cakes are ready." But who will go out in the snow and carry the tasty treats to each sleepy house?
In their third story about Sam and Mrs. Bear, Amy Hest and Anita Jeram capture a child’s simple joy of giving - and a quiet moment of confidence that will warm the coldest winter day.
Publishers Weekly
A number of fall picture books feature familiar characters. In You Can Do It, Sam by Amy Hest, illus. by Anita Jeram, this third Mrs. Bear and Sam the cub story finds the mother-son duo cooking up "a tasty surprise" for their neighbors. The title, however, doesn't refer to what's going on in the kitchen, but rather what Sam does after the goodies are stuffed into red gift bags-and his mama asks him to play Santa. Although Jeram uses the same rounded lines and subtle colors that make the interior scenes so snuggly, she's equally accomplished at conveying the icy light and crisp air of a winter morning. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
A number of fall picture books feature familiar characters. In You Can Do It, Sam by Amy Hest, illus. by Anita Jeram, this third Mrs. Bear and Sam the cub story finds the mother-son duo cooking up "a tasty surprise" for their neighbors. The title, however, doesn't refer to what's going on in the kitchen, but rather what Sam does after the goodies are stuffed into red gift bags-and his mama asks him to play Santa. Although Jeram uses the same rounded lines and subtle colors that make the interior scenes so snuggly, she's equally accomplished at conveying the icy light and crisp air of a winter morning. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
Sam and his mother are baking cakes—"golden-brown cakes for their friends on Plum Street." Impatient Sam can't wait until the cakes are ready, then to be left as tasty surprises on the doorsteps of his friends. But when Mrs. Bear stops the green truck at the first house and says, "Here we are, Sam. I'll wait here and YOU take the cake," he doubtfully whispers "All by myself?" Mrs. Bear puts her arm around the anxious Sam and assures him that he can do it. So off Sam goes all alone to deliver the cake. Leaving the cake, he runs back to the truck, proudly telling his Mama "I did it!" So they go from one sleepy house to the next and Sam leaves a tasty cake at each door all by himself. When the job is done, Mrs. Bear and Sam return home to enjoy cakes and cocoa and tell each other stories "about a bear called Sam who takes cake (all by himself!) to his friends." The story and illustrations lovingly depict the warm and companionable relationship between a young bear and his mother as she helps him take those important and scary all-by-myself steps to independence. 2003, Candlewick Press, Ages 3 to 6.— Anita Barnes Lowen