I feel very meh about this. The story was quite limited and repetitive. Even for preschoolers. Illustrations are cute though.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A good starter book for those learning to read. The interaction between the two characters is a neat aspect.

Written in dialogue between an aardvark and a mouse, I Think I Can appeals directly to beginning readers with it’s simple, easy to read text. Two readers can share the book, each taking a part, and it can be used to practice expression and voice while reading aloud. The simple text makes the book accessible for kids but also limits the story.

I Think I Can by Karen S Robbins is a quick, fun read for beginners which felt a bit like playing Marco Polo. (The book asks that the reading buddy read the role of Aardvark in blue font and the child take the role of Mouse in black font.) The limited vocabulary and repetitive nature of the story make it an ideal interactive choice to give shy readers more confidence. More exuberant readers will want to read the part of the aardvark the second or third time through. Reading this with dad could be an entirely different story than reading it with Grandma! The illustrations by Rachael Brunson are adorable, colorful, and engaging. The plain white background makes the pictures pop and the cover stand out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Schiffer Kids/Schiffer Publishing Ltd for the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest and unbiased.
#IThinkICan #NetGalley

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Two animals, an aardvark and a mouse, carry out a dialogue about what the aardvark can do. The sentences become longer and longer, so that a child learning to read can gradually read more and more text on each page.

While I like the idea of this book, I'm not sold on the execution. Perhaps a qualified educator would disagree, but as a parent and picture book author, I feel that the increase in complexity from the start to the end of the book is too extreme, and should instead be spread out over several books.

Also, while the illustrations are cute and nicely drawn, there is no change of scene and in fact barely any change at all from one page to the next: Just the aardvark on the left and the mouse on the right, in very similar positions each time.

I know the synopsis says I Think I Can is supposed to be read with a buddy, but my son is still learning how to read. Reading it on my own felt repetitive, but I do think reading it like a conversation would make it more fun. Instead, they had to listen to me say something and then basically repeat myself for a few pages. Once the mouse started asking different questions, it read more like a story, but then it was over. I would consider buying this for a future read, but it didn't really work reading it solo to my kiddos.

The format is helpful by encouraging choral reading. The beginning is very repetitive, bordering on annoying. Once the singing begins, the book picks up, only to be slam to an abrupt halt. The idea was good, but the execution could be better.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This was a fun book to read. Great idea to have parts. They graphics are adorable and the book will appeal to a range of ages. Well done I think most young children will enjoy. 4 stars

A lovely interactive book for parents, grandparents etc to help children learn to read together. A great little book with a positive message, bright and cheerful illustrations that encourage young readers to join in.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

An excellent picture book with a positive message about being able to accomplish difficult things. I like the message of I think I can rather than I don't think I can.

This book offers an interesting and fun interactive reading device – color coding the text. The child reads the text in one color out loud, and a reading buddy reads the text in the second color. The story revolves around a dialog between Aardvark and Mouse. The book begins with Aardvark uttering the simple words, “I Think I Can.” More words are added to the dialog on each successive page, which adds to the story and strengthens the child’s read aloud skills.

What a lovely book for a budding reader to read with an older sibling or a caregiver. Short, sweet, interactive. Hits all of the right buttons.

It is a quick read and great to encourage early reading. It is designed to be read out loud by two people and both characters have simple phonetic words so either character could be read by the early reader and could even be read by two early readers together. It would be great to have in an Early Childhood setting.


More word variation would have been nice as it is repetitive but still an enjoyable book for the under 6s to read without much support.

I Think I Can was a great book to get started with reading. It gave simple, repeating text, but in a fun way to help kids engage and enjoy the learning to read process. I think early readers and their teachers and parents will enjoy this book.

Good book for kids learning to read. Wonderful illustrations. Fun to read with kids. Easy for kids to learn to read. Interesting characters and story.

I liked the premise of this book--how they want you to read with a friend or family member, making you apart of the story. But sadly, the story was lacking. I think there are better books out there to help kids learn to read.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great small book for our little children who are taking their first steps into this world. This is the type of book that will teach them how to speak with their family, friends and the others; how and when to say 'Thank you!' and 'Please'. 'I Think I Can' is definitely a book that will teach them the good manners and how to maintain their optimism. I will definitely buy this book.

This is a cute little early reader book that is meant to be read with a partner, with one person reading the Aardvark’s lines and the other reading what the mouse says. The mouse and aardvark are adorable but they are only Illustrations in this reader besides a chair. I can appreciate the simplicity of the story, as it’s meant to build reading fluency. But for me to purchase a book for either my own children or our preschool I would prefer more of a story and more artwork on each page, otherwise I don’t think kids will want to come back to this book a second or third time.
Thank you Schiffer Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a really unique approach to first readers, using vocabulary specific to early readers, simple illustrations, and enough repetition to build confidence without being dull. I'd be curious to see how well it works for kindergarteners and first graders - it seems pretty solid.

I liked the interaction in the book and the repetitive nature of the story.
Great to use as an educational tool for younger children without them really knowing as they will enjoy the story and the song is lovely too - 4 stars from me