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I Can Roar!
This engaging board book offers a unique interactive experience for young children. Each page introduces a different animal with a suggestion for how a child can imitate that animal, such as “I can roar like a lion” and “I can snap like a turtle.” In place of the animal's face on each brightly illustrated page is a four-inch circular cut-out, allowing the child to insert his or her own face and pretend to be the animal by acting out what the text instructs. Alternating between animal sounds (“I can hoot like an owl”) and animal actions (“I can stick out my tongue like a snake”), this book provides children with loads of opportunities for imaginative play. It is also an excellent resource for teaching the youngest children about many kinds of animals. From a walrus to a cow, a cat to a bear, seventeen are featured in all, including household pets, farm favorites and creatures that live in the wild. The final page of the book concludes with the empowering message “I can be anything!” Created by the bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Frank Asch, this book would work beautifully for a creative activity with preschoolers or kindergartners. It could be used one on one with a child or could be passed around the circle allowing each youngster to take a turn with the next animal. This is a truly fun book that young children are sure to request.
20 pages, Board book
First published January 1, 1988
33 people want to read
About the author
Frank Asch
112 books102 followersFrank Asch is an American children's writer, best known for his Moonbear picture books.
Asch published his first picture book, George's Store, in 1968. The following year he graduated from Cooper Union with a BFA. Since then he has taught at a public school in India, as well as at a Montessori school in the United States, conducted numerous creative workshops for children. He has written over 60 books, including Turtle Tale, Mooncake, I Can Blink and Happy Birthday Moon. In 1989 he wrote Here Comes the Cat! in collaboration with Vladimir Vagin. The book was awarded the Russian National Book Award and was considered the first Russian-American collaboration on a children's book.
Asch lived in Somerville, New Jersey where he and his wife home-schooled their son Devin.
He currently lives in Vermont with his wife, Jan.
Asch published his first picture book, George's Store, in 1968. The following year he graduated from Cooper Union with a BFA. Since then he has taught at a public school in India, as well as at a Montessori school in the United States, conducted numerous creative workshops for children. He has written over 60 books, including Turtle Tale, Mooncake, I Can Blink and Happy Birthday Moon. In 1989 he wrote Here Comes the Cat! in collaboration with Vladimir Vagin. The book was awarded the Russian National Book Award and was considered the first Russian-American collaboration on a children's book.
Asch lived in Somerville, New Jersey where he and his wife home-schooled their son Devin.
He currently lives in Vermont with his wife, Jan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 30, 2015
This is a delightful board book that will be hilarious to share with a young child. Each page has an illustration of an animal and a sentence about that animal on it - and there is a die-cut hole where the head of the animal should be. A child can peep through the hole and pretend to be the animal whilst performing the described action associated with that creature. I saw an electronic version of this book but am told the board book has an unbreakable Mylar mirror to peek in at the back of each book.
Whilst simple in content it is rich in fun. The illustrations are clear, brightly coloured stylistic representations of the animals that children will quickly learn to recognise. I like the way the sentences refer to actions actually associated with the creatures, helping children learn about these. The final illustration is of a flower with its centre missing and the sentence ‘I can be anything!’ - a brilliant ending leaving this page with endless possibilities!
Overall this is a great board book to share with youngsters!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.
Whilst simple in content it is rich in fun. The illustrations are clear, brightly coloured stylistic representations of the animals that children will quickly learn to recognise. I like the way the sentences refer to actions actually associated with the creatures, helping children learn about these. The final illustration is of a flower with its centre missing and the sentence ‘I can be anything!’ - a brilliant ending leaving this page with endless possibilities!
Overall this is a great board book to share with youngsters!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.
September 1, 2015
This one actually happens to be a board book making it nice and sturdy for little hands learning how to handle things. Very nice when reading to a little one that wants to touch, play, and explore everything.
This book features a nice large sized hole where all the faces of the animals should be. This allows for you or your child (or both!) to imitate the animal on any given page.
I really like this one because it introduces children to a lot of different animals. It also allows them to practice animal noises or behaviors (such as a snake sticking out its tongue).
I Can Roar Like a Lion is sure to lead to a very fun and interactive storytime. Be ready to have a lot of laughs!
This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher for review.
Find more of my reviews here:
http://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/
This book features a nice large sized hole where all the faces of the animals should be. This allows for you or your child (or both!) to imitate the animal on any given page.
I really like this one because it introduces children to a lot of different animals. It also allows them to practice animal noises or behaviors (such as a snake sticking out its tongue).
I Can Roar Like a Lion is sure to lead to a very fun and interactive storytime. Be ready to have a lot of laughs!
This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher for review.
Find more of my reviews here:
http://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/
September 16, 2015
Disclaimer: I received a free ebook from NetGalley, but it in no way influenced by opinions.
Not only did we read the NetGalley version, but we read a hard copy (highly recommended to get the full effect) from the library. I have 3 year old twins and they loved this book! It's an interactive book that lets them practice making animal sounds and they constantly burst into spontaneous versions of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" as we were reading. My twins have speech delays, so I loved that this book encouraged them to be vocal and practice sounds and singing. I highly recommend it!
Not only did we read the NetGalley version, but we read a hard copy (highly recommended to get the full effect) from the library. I have 3 year old twins and they loved this book! It's an interactive book that lets them practice making animal sounds and they constantly burst into spontaneous versions of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" as we were reading. My twins have speech delays, so I loved that this book encouraged them to be vocal and practice sounds and singing. I highly recommend it!
July 23, 2015
This foot tall board book has a large die-cut circular hole, perfect for toddlers to hold up and have their faces show through. The pages feature Asch's simply outlined animal shapes and declarative sentences, such as "I can squeak like a mouse" and "I can oink like a pig." Sure to be great fun for young children.
May 14, 2018
L picked this book out at the library and I thought it would be too simplistic for her, but she ended up being really thrilled with it. She calls it "my Face Book" (the unintended pun amuses me) and she very much enjoys sticking her face in the book and becoming each animal. Even S got a kick out of it and he's in kindergarten. When we read it together they take turns becoming each animal. They were "performing" for F, although she's too young to appreciate it just yet.
In short, a simple book, but definitely fun for the right audience.
In short, a simple book, but definitely fun for the right audience.
October 31, 2017
I used this as the second book for my Baby/Toddler program and it went over really well. Originally, I found it a bit long for my Baby Time. Probably best for toddlers as they were giggling, making the animal sounds and yelling out they type of animal...
August 24, 2018
My toddler adored this book.
March 27, 2019
loved it. can use faces and make the noises of the animals and have guessing. would be fun for storytime.
August 20, 2023
Would be a lot better of there was also a mirror on the left side so the child could see themselves on both sides 🤷🏼♀️
April 27, 2025
now this was just way too silly putting our face in the hole and acting like all the animals!
January 13, 2017
Little Pickle was laughing hysterically at this book. Definite winner!
February 3, 2019
What a funny book. Mama has been teaching us about animals and the sounds they make and we had lots of giggles putting our faces through the hole and roaring like a lion. Raaaaawr!!!🐯🐅🐆
March 27, 2018
Copyright: 2015 Frank Ash
Number of pages: unknown
Book Format: Board book
Reading level: unknown
Genre: fiction
Lit Requirement: Interactive book
Summary:
I Can Roar! written by Frank Ash, is an interactive book that has a hole cut out of the center of the book. The main purpose of the hole in the center is because the hole is the face of an animal. The reader of the book puts their face in the hole and then reads the page and makes the animal noise shown. The animals shown are a lion, a mouse, a dog, and a turtle!
Review:
In my opinion, this children's book teaches kids that no matter what, they can be anything they want. I believe children would really enjoy reading this book and being silly as well as watching someone else being silly while reading the book to them. I enjoyed the different sounds or actions throughout the book. I recommend this book to anyone who has a sense of imagination because it is a very cute and appropriately informative about animals.
Number of pages: unknown
Book Format: Board book
Reading level: unknown
Genre: fiction
Lit Requirement: Interactive book
Summary:
I Can Roar! written by Frank Ash, is an interactive book that has a hole cut out of the center of the book. The main purpose of the hole in the center is because the hole is the face of an animal. The reader of the book puts their face in the hole and then reads the page and makes the animal noise shown. The animals shown are a lion, a mouse, a dog, and a turtle!
Review:
In my opinion, this children's book teaches kids that no matter what, they can be anything they want. I believe children would really enjoy reading this book and being silly as well as watching someone else being silly while reading the book to them. I enjoyed the different sounds or actions throughout the book. I recommend this book to anyone who has a sense of imagination because it is a very cute and appropriately informative about animals.
September 21, 2015
This book is perfect for toddlers and very young children. It is creative, expressive and interactive. It is a very sturdy and kid-friendly board board, one which will make your child giggle and play as he/she uses his imagination to become the character illustrated on each page.
As each page is turned, a new experience awaits. Your child will delight in becoming a strong roaring lion, a fuzzy brown bear, a snapping turtle, a hooting owl or even a sly old snake, just to name a few. There are 17 opportunities to get imaginations perking and your child to become the star of the book.
The really unique fun part is that the animal's faces are substituted by your child's peeking through a four-inch circular cut-out and making faces and sounds like the animal he is supposed to represent. What an interesting and challenging way to teach little ones about a variety of animals in his world.
The final page inspires your child to be anything he wants with the message, "I Can be anything!" It includes a mylar mirror that reflects those words right back at your child. Brilliant marketing for sure. I love this idea suggested by the author himself...
"this book would work beautifully for a creative activity with preschoolers or kindergarteners. It could be used one on one with a child or could be passed around the circle allowing each child to take a turn with the next animal. "
As each page is turned, a new experience awaits. Your child will delight in becoming a strong roaring lion, a fuzzy brown bear, a snapping turtle, a hooting owl or even a sly old snake, just to name a few. There are 17 opportunities to get imaginations perking and your child to become the star of the book.
The really unique fun part is that the animal's faces are substituted by your child's peeking through a four-inch circular cut-out and making faces and sounds like the animal he is supposed to represent. What an interesting and challenging way to teach little ones about a variety of animals in his world.
The final page inspires your child to be anything he wants with the message, "I Can be anything!" It includes a mylar mirror that reflects those words right back at your child. Brilliant marketing for sure. I love this idea suggested by the author himself...
"this book would work beautifully for a creative activity with preschoolers or kindergarteners. It could be used one on one with a child or could be passed around the circle allowing each child to take a turn with the next animal. "
October 6, 2015
I adore this book! How much fun it will be to share this book with a very young child and roar like a lion, scrunch your face like a walrus, chew like a cow, stick your tongue out like a snake, and at the end, be reminded that you can be anything! The book is created with a cut-out where the animal face should be so the child can be the face of a lion as they roar and so on. The pages are simple and fun and the end leaves so much room for discussion. What else should we be? Have you ever wanted to try? What face does a _______ make? When I feel ______, my face looks ______. Honestly, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. I do wonder what the book would have been like if instead of a cu-out, the author had chosen to use a mirror instead. Very young children are fascinated by seeing their own image. While it might have limited the audience some, I think it may have changed the way children interacted with the book.
May 31, 2016
This picturebook is designed for young children. Each page has a different animal on it with a cut out for them to put their face in, then along with that is what the animal does (i.e. roar, hoot, etc.). Then at the very end of the book there is a page that exclaims "I can do anything", empowering young children to the fact that they can do anything they put their mind to.
Each of the illustrations are bold, yet very simple. Most of the pages only have the animal painted on the page and then nothing else. This goes along nicely with the text because the entire thing is very simple.
I found this book to be very beneficial for young children- it introduces a variety of animals to the children and what they do. I think it would be good for younger students and I think they would be extremely interested in it.
Each of the illustrations are bold, yet very simple. Most of the pages only have the animal painted on the page and then nothing else. This goes along nicely with the text because the entire thing is very simple.
I found this book to be very beneficial for young children- it introduces a variety of animals to the children and what they do. I think it would be good for younger students and I think they would be extremely interested in it.
December 23, 2015
This board book portraits 18 different animals with a big hole in their face. Kids can peep out their faces through the hole and pretend to be that animal. Roar like a lion, squeak like a mouse, oink like a pig, chew like a cow and stick out the tongue like a snake are some of the funny things the kids are encouraged to do in each page.
This is not a book for a quiet story time. Not at all! It is very interactive, and being silly and noisy is an important part of the amusement.
I think a mirror instead of a hole would be another interesting version of this book.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Check out more children's book reviews in my Reviews in Chalk Blog!
This is not a book for a quiet story time. Not at all! It is very interactive, and being silly and noisy is an important part of the amusement.
I think a mirror instead of a hole would be another interesting version of this book.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Check out more children's book reviews in my Reviews in Chalk Blog!
January 1, 2016
I think that this book is very well suited to kindergarten children (3-4 years). The colours are bright and engaging. The drawings are simple but easily defined. The words are so straight forward and link directly to the images which means that a child in this age group could "read" this book themselves after the initial reading. I think this book has huge appeal. It has animals (which every child can relate to), it has actions and encourages active involvement (which kindy kids LOVE!) and it has a positive message: I Can! I would absolutely recommend this one... I can see 4-5 year olds taking this one off the shelf to read and re- read. I need a hard copy of this one!!!!!
October 20, 2015
I was having a really shitty day so I read this to myself, at work, out loud. In case you aren't fully understanding this, I roared, and made faces, and oinked, and eventually giggled, during a day where I had already cried. This book is simply marvelous. Simple, funny, interactive, and perfect. The reader can make it different every time by simply twisting their lip a different way or squeaking in a different tone. Not only am I going to buy this for myself to re-read when I'm having a dark day (...and to read to my cats when I'm drunk), but I'm 100% buying it to read to my fake-nephew. Buy this. NOW.
August 27, 2015
This is a reissue of a book from 1997 and it still works. There is a large hole in the middle of the pictures for your face to "Roar" like a lion, hoot like an owl, wiggle your nose like a rabbit and so on. You could even let the children use a mirror and do it themselves. Large, colourful pictures that will grab the attention of the little ones that this book is aimed at.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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March 10, 2016I regret that I can not give a review on this book due to receiving it in eBook format which prevented utilizing it for it's intended purpose of a child interacting with the book. However, the concept of the face "cut outs" on each page in a "board book" format is intriguing and I am considering buying it for my 3 year old grandson.
Please note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Please note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
November 1, 2019
I used this as a replacement for Begin Smart™ Who Am I? It is a larger book and animals and went over quite well.
For my Halloween Lap Time I do mask type books to introduce people dressing up. 10/15/16
Used for my Halloween Baby/Toddler Lap Time and it went over really well with the toddlers and some older siblings.
For my Halloween Lap Time I do mask type books to introduce people dressing up. 10/15/16
Used for my Halloween Baby/Toddler Lap Time and it went over really well with the toddlers and some older siblings.
February 11, 2016
A charming oversized board book features a face sized hole on each page as it invites to children to “roar like a lion” or “snap like a turtles” and so forth. This should be a storytime staple and a hit with young readers. Brightly colored pages and clear text combine every child’s love of animals and being in charge of the book.
September 28, 2018
When I used this in a library "Baby Time" for 0-2 year old's I held this up to my lap-doll's face, which fit perfectly. This is like dress-up costumes-in-a-book.
Roar like a lion.
Squeak like a mouse.
Oink like a pig.
Quack like a duck.
and so forth
So Fun!!!
Roar like a lion.
Squeak like a mouse.
Oink like a pig.
Quack like a duck.
and so forth
So Fun!!!
May 28, 2016
This unique board book has a whole in it just big enough to fit a tiny face. As children see the outline of an animal they are encouraged to imitate one. This peek through book will be enjoyed over and over again by from ages one to three.
August 29, 2015
I Can Roar! is interactive and fun! Perfect for babies and toddlers!
I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 23, 2015
Readers can put their face into the cut-out and make the sounds of each animal as they turn the pages!
Good for toddlers.
Good for toddlers.
January 15, 2016
This was a big hit at Baby Storytime!
March 29, 2016
We loved this book. It is so much fun!
February 3, 2016
What could make reading a book more fun than seeing Mom or Dad stick their face IN the book and make silly noises?! Our two year old laughs out loud at this one - and that makes it a keeper! :D
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews