YOU CAN DO IT

This earnest effort from the well-known NFL coach is based on Dungy’s childhood experiences in his own tightly knit Christian family. He focuses on the concept that each person has a special talent—an “it”—that can be discovered if you “[t]rust God and dream big!” Little brother Linden feels left out because his brother, Tony, and sisters have special talents and interests that seem to lead straight to their future careers. After having a cavity filled by an understanding dentist, Linden finds a sudden and intense interest in teeth and the dental profession, which he shares with his class during show-and-tell. A concluding note, in the author’s own voice, connects the story to his own life and Christian faith and confirms Linden’s success as a dentist. The large format highlights Bates’s attractive full-color illustrations, which depict the close-knit, loving African-American family with warmth. The stilted text, however, indicates that Dungy’s it lies in coaching, not in writing, all good intentions aside. (Picture book/religion. 5-8)