978-0802855046 | Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers

There are 18 kids in Zahra’s class. Kyle is one of them. He is great at many things. Drawing and drumming, sharing cookies at lunch, and telling jokes. He is kind and full of smiles.

One thing Kyle is not so good at is reading and handwriting, cutting and gluing. Every day, Ms. Underwood asks,”Who will be Kyle’s helper today?” Zahra always raises her hand. She is a super helper and, together, she and Kyle make a good team.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Mikela Prevost

But then, at recess, Zahra overhears a few of her classmates talking.

“Kyle is such a baby,” says Tess.
“He looks weird,” says Ashley…

“Why do you help him?” asks Tess.

Zahra wants to explain why, but she doesn’t. She can’t stop thinking about their questions…

The next day, when her teacher asks her to help Kyle, she feels the weight of her classmates’ stares. She pushes Kyle’s paper towards him. “Do it yourself!” she says.

When Ms. Underwood notices that she isn’t helping Kyle, Zahra is ashamed.

“I want to answer her, but I don’t want my mean voice to come out.
I blink the right amount of blinks so I don’t cry.”

This tender story, based on an experience the author had in school, is realistic about the ways in which peer pressure from classmates can sometimes lead a child to do and say things that don’t reflect the child’s true feelings.

In this story, Zahra regrets her choices, but it isn’t until she moves to another school the following fall, that she determines to make amends.

I find my voice.
The voice that I know and am proud of.
The voice that’s mine.
“Are you new?” I ask.
“I can help!”

I CAN HELP, beautifully written by Reem Faruqi and brilliantly illustrated in mixed media by Mikela Prevost, is incredibly moving and poignant. This is an important book that will invite young readers into conversations around how we treat one another, the mistakes we sometimes make, and the path we can choose towards making amends.