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based on the classic children’s tale, “The Little Engine that Could”
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by Kevin Earl
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I Think I Can
Archie
I Think I Can by Kevin Earl
To Jackson, Cody, Brooke, Luke, and Vivian: You can do hard things!
“I Think I Can” The story of the Little Engine that Could as retold and Illustrated by 故事重述 插画绘图 Kevin Earl
Copyright © 2017 爱美英语 Amerlish 所有权利保留© 2017 爱美英语 Beijing, China 中国， 北京 All rights reserved 所有权利保留 Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. 未经版权方（AMERLISH）书面许可情况下，禁止任何部分或者整体内容的复制。 www.amerlish.com www.amerlish.us CEO: Derek Du COO: Aaron Stevens VP of Curriculum and Schools: Kevin Earl Pre-k Curriculum Director: Jenny Jump
In a land far away, lived a little blue train engine. He wasn’t used for any big important jobs because people thought he was too small and weak. One day that all changed when he did something all the other trains thought was impossible.
Archie
Archie worked at a small station where many big important trains stopped and rested before climbing over the massive mountains that separated the land in two.
Small Town
He was always excited when famous engines came to his little station. Pullman, the fancy passenger engine, pulled presidents and kings over the mountains.
Pullman
Leland, an old steam engine, took tourists on holiday adventures in the forest.
Leland
Helen was the strongest engine around. She once pulled a train of 100 cars full of elephants over the mountains.
Helen
One lazy afternoon, Archie listened as Pullman, Leland, and Helen talked about their important jobs.
All of the sudden, an alarm sounded. Gad, another locomotive, overheated on the mountain and could not go on. He called for help.
Gad pulled a train full of fresh apples, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, mangoes, and ice cream, lots and lots of ice cream. All of these scrumptious treats were on their way to good little girls and boys on the other side of the mountain. If Gad didn’t get there soon, all of the ice cream would melt and the fruit would go bad.
GAD
Gad called out.
GA D
“Please help me!”
“I must get these special treats to the good children on the other side of the mountain.�
Promontory
“This is ridiculous,” chuckled Helen. “I’m much too strong for such a job. Find someone else.”
Leland snorted a big puff of steam and haughtily said, “Ice cream?! I’m better than ice cream. I give tours of the forest.”
Pullman laughed at Gad’s plea. “I’m too important to pull a train full of fruit and ice cream for children!” he boasted.
Archie
But, there was no one else at the station other than Archie. He didn’t want those boys and girls to miss their treats. This was an important job! He was hesitant, but he replied that he would help.
“Hahaha!” roared Leland. “You’re just a small local engine. Even without cars you would not make it over that mountain!”
a H
Pullman
e H e H He “Don’t
worry about the children,” commented Helen. “They don’t deserve nice treats anyway.”
a H
a H
Leland
Pullman agreed, “You’re so cute thinking you can do such a big job.”
LOL L OL
Helen
Archie trembled at the mocking he received from the celebrated engines, but he pulled forward a little and quietly spoke.
Ha Ha Ha
LOL LOL He He He
Leland
“I think I can.” They laughed again. “Go ahead and try, but we aren’t going to help you when you fail,” Helen added.
Helen
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I k n i h t I . n a c I k n i h t I . n a Archie started up the hill c I k to where Gad had broken n i h t down. All the way he kept I . n repeating, a c I k “I think I can. I think I can. n i h t I think I can.� I
Gad quickly connected Archie to the train and thanked him very much. “The kids will be so happy when you get there,� encouraged Gad.
Archie
Archie
. n a c I k n i h t I . n a c I k n i h t I . n a c I k n i h t Archie started pulling It was very hard, I . . n a c I k but he kept telling himself n i . h I t “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.�
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The mountain got steeper and steeper. And Archie got slower and slower. “I think...I can. I think...I can. I...think...I...can.�
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He puffed, and he pulled. He pulled, and he puffed. Then finally at the summit he knew he had done it. Instead of having to pull and pull and pull, the train pushed him down the other side of the mountain.
“I knew I could! I knew I could! I knew I could!”
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he shouted exultantly.
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When he reached the station on the other side, many good boys and girls were waiting. They were waiting for their reward of fresh fruit and ice cream.
Archie
Promontory
“Oh, boy!” yelled Jackson. “He brought blueberries and bananas! I love blueberries and bananas!”
“How exciting!” exclaimed Vivian. “I smell strawberries. Strawberries with ice cream is my favorite!”
All of the children were happy.
Archie was happy too. He did something the others said he couldn’t do. He tried and tried and succeeded.
Meet the Storyteller:
Kevin Earl
Originally, from Texas, Kevin grew up with largerthan-life stories about Pecos Bill and the Alamo. As a child, he travelled the United States with the Texas Boys Choir telling stories through song and learning stories from host families and of places he visited. With the choir Kevin travelled overseas for the first time to Latvia solidifying his wanderlust. Kevin has degrees from LDS Business College, Brigham Young University, and Grand Canyon University. He has lived and traveled around the world experiencing stories from all over the globe. He believes that through the stories of people and places we learn to appreciate and understand others we share the world with, we learn valuable lessons about why things are the way they are, and we pass down our culture and traditions to connect the past with the future. One children's story lesson that he has continued to learn through his life of adventure comes from a story by Dr. Seuss. Horton, the elephant, states plainly, ”A person's a person, no matter how small.”
A Chinese Connection to American Railroads May 10, 1869, the greatest engineering feat of the 19th century was ceremoniously completed at Promontory Summit, Utah with the joining of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads by the driving of a golden spike. At the time, the nation was broken from civil war. This project was the bandage that helped the country heal and come back together. It connected the two sides of the country from sea to shining sea, and it cut the journey to the west from many months to just over one week. Along the 1,907-mile (3,069-km) route, the builders completed amazing construction feats including tunnels, cuts, and fills that had never been done before. The Central Pacific Railroad’s main supply of workers were Chinese immigrants, more than 11,000. It is because of these workers that Chinatowns like in San Francisco’s exist today. The final ceremonial golden spike was even driven by a Chinese worker after the officials couldn’t connect the hammer with the spike. To honor and protect this history and heritage, the 2,735-acre Golden Spike National Historic Site was created in 1957. Each day during the summer season visitors can watch as two replica locomotives take to the tracks at the site of the golden spike ceremony. Costumed reenactors also portray the ceremony each year on May 10. The park consists of trails on the original path of the railroad allowing visitors an up-close look at the work that went into building the Transcontinental Railroad.
Amerlish is an English language training school based in Beijing, China, that provides American-style classes and curriculum with integrated cultural experiences. Amerlish teachers, curriculum, and style bring America to Amerlish helping its students be more successful when they go from Amerlish to the world.
I knew I could!