YOU CAN!

Follow 14 children as they grow, learn, and become their authentic selves.

Beginning as babies, this diverse group of youngsters share toys and form close bonds. As readers turn pages, the children grow to young adulthood. There is no explicit narrative that follows these tots on their journeys; instead, Strick offers statements, starting with the titular phrase. Some spreads are rousing affirmations: “You can… / be brave, / be beautiful, // be inventive, / be strong.” Others take the form of advice: “You can… / make new resolutions / whenever you like, / make mistakes and learn from them, // forgive others / and yourself.” Backmatter explains that Strick and Antony spoke to many young people, asking for words of wisdom and what they wished they’d known. Those answers directly informed these thoughtful phrases. Though the children wear different clothes as the warm pencil illustrations progress, Antony makes the inspired choice to have each child wear the same color, so readers can also follow individual pathways and observe many stories told without any words at all. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Inclusive and empowering.