Author/Dad is in the NFL.

Written by Tony Dungy, former NFL player and head coach of the 2006 World Champions, the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. Tony's little brother, Linden, is a third grader who is having a bad day at school. Linden is the youngest of the Dungy family and the least motivated because he hasn't found "it." In a family where everyone seems to have found their special talent, all Linden knows is that he wants to make people happy. With encouragement from his parents, a helping hand from his older brother Tony, and inspiration from God, Linden learns that if he dreams big and has faith, he can do anything!

I liked this book for a few reasons. For one, I liked the characters in the story because they were supportive of one another. In the story the main character, Linden, was given support and encouragement from his older brother throughout the story. Also, I liked the plot of the story because it gave a new perspective of dentists. For example, in the story Linden explained that, “when you make people feel good they smile. And that’s why when [he grows] up [he wants] to be a dentist.” I think this is interesting because younger students are typically afraid to go to the dentist and have negative associations with them. Yet, this book shows the positive side of dentists and how they make people smile during check ups. The aspect that I did not like about this book was that I felt that it had a strong message associated with God. I think this book would be good to use in Catholic schools, but in public schools because I think students and their parents may not like the use of God in the text. For example, Linden explains in the story that he “[trusts] God.” I do not know if this would be an appropriate book to use in public school depending on the area. The big idea of You Can Do It is that when you are confused, you can look to others for inspiration. In the story, Linden did not know what he wanted to be in the future. His brother encouraged him to stay open-minded, which gave Linden hope. Then when Linden went to the dentist, he used him as a role model and as an inspiration to one day become a dentist. ( )

In this book, Tony Dungy relates an episode from his own upbringing. Young Tony and his two sisters already know what they want to do in life, but baby brother Linden despairs because he doesn't have any dreams for a career when he grows up. While he is down in the dumps, his siblings and parents encourage him that some day he will figure out what it is he wants to do with his life.

I stumbled upon this book from a list of books purportedly appropriate for African-American toddlers, as I was looking for some good books to share for Black History Month with the younger audience I now have at work. When I got this book, I was surprised to find this was recommended for toddlers. The concepts in the book are a bit difficult for the more concrete learners of children ages 1 to 3, and the text is rather wordy. Even with me doing a Reader's Digest type condensation, the children in my class had lost all interest by the third or fourth page. This may well have been a good thing in the long run, for this book had a lot of religious content in it. That is not a bad thing per se, depending on the reader, but it's not appropriate in a non-religious school setting.

The fact that this is a true story is sweet, and you can see the love amongst the family. Of course, I like the idea of everyone in the family looking out for one another and providing encouragement when one child is feeling low. Although there is a religious message, the story could be told without it for those who are not interested in it. The illustrations are beautiful and heart-warming, so they are a good match with the storyline presented. I could definitely see why some would like this book a great deal and find it a good addition to their library, especially as they talk to children about their dreams and following through on them. That being said though, it simply wasn't my cup of tea. ( )

In this book, 4 siblings discuss their dreams. Linden is the only one who does not yet know what his dream is.
The family encourages Linden to trust God, and they pray for him that God will show him his "it" for his life.