I Knew You Could! By Craig Dorfman

            I chose to do my analysis on a book that my children own that is titled I Knew You Could! This book was written by Craig Dorfman, illustrated by Cristina Ong, and published in 2003. The first time I read this book, I knew that I’ve read something similar before, but just couldn’t put my finger on it. Then it hit me! It sounded a lot like another book that I’ve read a long time ago titled The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. I Knew You Could! is like a sequel with a new little twist on the classic The Little Engine That Could.

            The book is written in a rhyme about a little blue train that keeps moving forward when faced with different struggles, choices, surprises, and worries that life brings. The little blue train travels the rails and is constantly faced with which track to take. There are plenty of stops along the way and each stop has a new lesson to teach. When faced with surprises, the encouraging words that help to keep moving forward are, “I think I can!” As life takes a turn that seems scary and new, it may seem like a tunnel or a bad track. That same track will lead you out, and yet again, on another new track, a new adventure, and a new journey. The little blue train wishes to be a car or a plane, but then realizes that the plane or the car could be wishing to be a train. The train is encouraged to enjoy the trip of life as a train and not anything else. Along the way, the train meets new friends and is told to reach out to friends when feeling sad, because that’s what friends are for. The little blue train works hard some days to show the world that it’ll never give up. It also talks about the importance of slowing down today to have a happier tomorrow. Having faith in yourself and the decisions you make will help you grow, and saying, “I think I can!” will help you get there.

            This story is great because it gives the little blue train all the power of making personal choices in life. It is encouraged to take its own track and learn lessons along the way without giving up. These lessons that are learned along the way bring great wisdom. “You’re wise if you know that doing your best means that sometimes you should just slow down and rest.” (Dorfman, 2003, p. 27). The author tells the story in second person and motivates the little blue train to stay positive and to always believe in himself/herself.

            The train in the book is without a gender, so it can be a male or female. Since the book was written in second person, when being read to a classroom of children, it’s not just a boy train or a girl train.

            Looking through the pictures in the book, most of the passengers were white. One page had a group of six kids waving to the train as it was passing by. Out of the 6 kids, only one had dark skin. The rest were all white. Another picture that showed people at a train station had six white people and two African American looking individuals. The book is written in a way that could be motivational to young children as well as adults.

            I love the way that the author helps pushing the little blue train to keep moving forward, to not give up, and to always stay positive when the going gets tough. He gives valuable lessons that anyone can apply to their own life like not rushing forward, because you might not be able to make it to your destination on the fuel you have, being yourself and not anyone else, believing in yourself, turning to friends for help, and not being afraid to toot your own horn.

            I couldn’t find any information on the author Craig Dorfman for his perspective. I like reading about where the authors find the inspiration for their stories and a little background of where they are from and what other books they have written. I couldn’t even find a picture of the author.

            I would definitely recommend this book. It’s a great book for children and adults alike. One of the reviewers online stated that she purchased a copy for each of her children. She is having the teachers sign the book at the end of each school year, and will be giving the signed books to her kids on their graduation day. Encouraging children that they are capable of accomplishing anything that they put their mind to is very important. The positive message of trusting in yourself and saying, “I think I can!” every time you face a difficult task, and at the end succeeding. Children need that extra boost of confidence and encouragement and they can find it in this great book.

References:

Dorfman, C. (2003). I Knew You Could!