Can’ts Never Could
David Farkas
Independently Published (2025)
ISBN: 979-8281308557
Reviewed by Rachel Dehning for Reader Views (12/2025)
We live in a fast-paced world, where we are commonly impatient, get bored easily, and want things done the first time correctly, and of course, quickly. The youth and younger generation are growing up with this mentality, and it’s reprogramming the minds of all other ages. Being impatient, easily frustrated, and overly critical is the “norm,” and the ways of the past are being forgotten, such as having perseverance, tolerance, and the ability to ask for help. David Farkas presents this dilemma in his picture book, Can’ts Never Could: A Child’s Guide to Perseverance. However, it is a lasting, not temporary, message appropriate for people of all ages from any given time in history.
In his story, a young boy is visited by a “stubborn, little elf” who has one phrase to share whenever the boy exclaims “I can’t” or anything similar – “Can’ts Never Could!” This frustrates the boy, and he doesn’t understand how anything is wrong or why he should change. Given time and failed tries in various activities doing things his way, the boy develops, in an “a-ha” moment, a better and clearer understanding of what the elf is trying to teach and remind him of, providing a new mantra. The boy doesn’t just give in to the elf because he is worn down; no, the boy realizes that when he continues to say “I can’t” or anything else negative about himself, he isn’t giving himself the chance he deserves to see if he can thrive and do better than he initially assumes, as well as maintaining positive mental health.
The same goes for anyone else struggling with this.
The problem and solution in the story are clear, the main character is relatable, the illustrations by Brittany Farkas assist the storyline, and the story is versatile for a variety of settings.
From Lydia (age 11): The message I got from the story is “don’t quit if you’re not good at something, because then, you’ll never get good at it.” The whole story made sense to me, and I enjoyed reading and hearing it read; the rhyming text was helpful. There is a good lesson in the story that I believe is necessary for readers of all ages because it’s important for people to feel better about themselves individually and together.