Customer Reviews
Miami Mom 
2008-08-28
We love this book. My daughter loves every Karen Katz book that I have read to her. After reading this book many times, one time when a family friend asked my daughter for her favorite stuffed animal lamb, my 18 month old daughter handed our friend a different stuffed animal lamb that was not her favorite. I love that it gives a solution to finding a way to share something without giving it up or taking away from the fun of it.
Just O.K. 
2008-04-21
I was actually a little bit disappointed in this purchase. The "flap" is in the same place on the same side of every page. Not very interesting or challenging.
Great Introduction to Sharing 
2008-03-03
My 17-month old was very familiar with the word "MINE" so I bought this book to help us introduce the concept of "Sharing" with her. It worked great. She loved the pictures and lifting the flaps and I have caught her "reading" this one on her own later. She definitely understands sharing now and this book really helped us show her how much happier everyone is when you share. Definitely worth the price. The pages are a nice quality, too, that won't easily rip.
I wish this had smaller flaps like some of her other books, though. It's more fun for the baby to lift the small flap to reveal a surprise instead of lifting the whole page the way this one is set up. The baby doesn't understand how to put the page back down before turning the page, so the whole book ends up with the pages sticking out when you are done and it gets a little confusing. That's the only downside.
This is NOT sharing. 
2007-12-06
Look, I really like this author and own and read a ton of her books to my kids, but this one just really rubs me the wrong way.
My main problem is that the book is called "I Can Share" and then what follows are several examples of kids doing things that are anything but sharing.
For example,
One girl asks, "Can I play with your doll?"
The other girl replies..."No...but you can play with this other Doll."
Ok, That is NOT sharing. Its appeasement. None of the examples are sharing. They are keeping what you have and appeasing the person asking you for something by giving them something else.
Now, ironically, I tend to believe that "sharing" is highly over-rated. We try to teach kids to "share" their toys with other kids, when in fact, we as adults rarely share our toys with our friends.
However, what I don't want to do is teach my kids that words have bendable meanings...or that this is what sharing means.
The verb use of the word share is as follows:
1. to divide and distribute in shares; apportion.
2. to use, participate in, enjoy, receive, etc., jointly: The two chemists shared the Nobel prize.
None of the actions in this book are remotely close to that definition.
This book should be titled, "I Can Mollify." or even better "How to Spin Your Friends Into Appeasement When They Want Something You Got."
Not really about sharing 
2007-09-22
This book is okay. I was a bit disappointed in that it's really not about sharing. On each page, the child doesn't want to share the toy they're playing with. On the reveal page, the child "shares" by giving the other child a different toy to play with, or something similar to that effect. It would have been nicer, to see the child actually giving the same toy to the other child to "take turns" or sincerely "share".
yes, with a reminder, I can share 2007-09-15
That’s not fair! It’s mine! For toddlers, sharing can be a hard concept to grasp, but with the help of this book, they’ll learn that sharing can also be fun! Featuring simple, repetitive text and adorable toddlers, this playful little book is the perfect way to introduce the magic of sharing.
Love Love Love these books - not really about sharing though....more like working together 2007-05-09
My kids love these books, which is why I gave it a 5 stars. I personally do not think that this book is about sharing per se. The characters in thebook do not really share anything. "This is my snack and you can not have it....but I will give you your own." This is not really sharing in my opinion. The storyline is easy to follow and the characters are bright and engaging. The kids love the lift the flaps and repeatedly ask to read the book. I just wish the book was truely about two kids "sharing" things instead of working together each with their own toy or snack.
Sharing Can Be Taught ... But Katz Shows a More Difficult Route to Follow ... 2007-04-06
I Can Share: A Lift-the-Flap Book
In the genesis of this book, I think Karen Katz was trying to show little ones, as young as two, the concept of bargaining to create win-win situations with other playmates without giving up ownership of a toy or fun experience. The example given about "My Bike!" breaksdown the mechanics of compromise at its most basic level for a toddler/preschooler. The ideal outcome shows the two playmates enjoying the bike in equal excitement. However, I've seen my kids go at it for hours over a doll or car without accomplishing much in the area of compromise. Parental intervention has been the solution, usually providing two separate toys of perceived equal value to each child. The notion of proposing trade-offs with others can be a difficult concept to grasp and execute (even into adulthood!) Imagine how abstract it is to do so at two to four years old! It does require some level of maturity, but like the Manners book "Excuse Me!" some robotic learning can take place at preschool age to learn about compromise, before the dots are connected and compromise is fully realized at the elementary school age or beyond. For this, I rate Katz's approach one star short of five, but applaud her for trying to convey a more difficult route to sharing.
A little strange concept 2007-03-10
Is this sharing in the 2000s? I found this whole book very peculiar. No, I'm not sharing my stuff with you - but I can try to give you something else instead. I can understand that's how it works sometimes -- but it is it really sharing. Very strange book.
Concepts click for 2 year olds 2007-01-29
My 2 year old daughter had some difficulty sharing. I believe she felt once the toy was "shared" it was leaving forever. After reading this book many many times she seemed to grasp the notion that the toy was still hers. She willingly shared after and took much pride in her ability to hand things over. It is still a work in progress. If another child grabs for something she has, naturally her instinct is to pull it back. I do not want her to develop the idea sharing means you let other kids take anything they want from her. However, I can diffuse the battle much easier by making suggestions of how we can share. As a mom the book also helped me become more creative in finding alternatives rather than trying to force her to give up a toy.
