I Did It! [I Like to Read: Comics]
by Michael Emberley ; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary     Holiday    40 pp.         g
9/22      978-0-8234-4651-3     $14.99

A red-nosed creature wearing a green-and-purple-striped onesie attempts a series of activities: building a tall block tower, climbing a rope and a tree, catching a ball. Each try begins with optimism (“I can do it!” “Can I do it?” “I want to do it!” “I think I can do it”) but ends with frustration and discouragement: “I can’t do it!” Early efforts at bike riding seem similarly destined for disappointment—but the positive difference in outcome is a product of perseverance. Although the results aren’t yet mastery level, the protagonist—with a little help from friends raccoon, robot, elephant, penguin, and alligator—gains confidence and enjoyment without the pressure of perfection. The all-dialogue text, with just a handful of words in total, is easy to read and will give new readers, too, the self-assurance finally enjoyed by our main character. Lively cartoony illustrations with plenty of white space provide humor and relatability. The creature’s emotions are on full display (e.g., when it kicks over the block tower; walking, slumped shouldered, away from an uncaught ball), making its ultimate triumph that much sweeter.

From the September/October 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.