Feels like a party, and you'll want to jump in.
A rhyming picture book celebrates pool time.
An ensemble of nameless children enjoys a cheerful outing at a public pool. Using compact couplets, the text describes their activities—belly-flopping, gliding underwater, sunbathing on the deck, and more. It also captures the sights, sounds, and sensations of the experience, such as “FINGERS PRUNED” and the “SUN-KISSED GLOW” that follows a long swim. Illustrations showing kids having all sorts of fun in the rippling blue water, using animal floaties, and eating Popsicles invite interest in what, to some young readers, might be an unfamiliar place. A class sensibility seems to be at work since the artwork portrays a swimming facility with bountiful equipment and tropical deck plants—a far cry from most public pools. Excellent vocabulary-building opportunities present in the brief text (cannonball and marooned, to name a few), which also offers plenty of chances to act out scenes and have conversations about water safety. The colorful illustrations take pleasing turns with full-bleed double-page spreads, continuous narrative art, and spot-art close-ups. Adults are only present to pick up the kids at the end of the party, there are no squabbles, and no Band-Aids are needed. Children are depicted with a range of skin tones and hair colors, and some are taller than others; but all are able-bodied, which is a missed chance to help disabled kids see themselves in such a setting.
Feels like a party, and you'll want to jump in. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-951836-41-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cameron + Company
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
Warmly buoyant.
A Black family of four enjoys a day at the pool.
Readers may recognize two of the family members from Bolling and Juanita’s Together We Ride (2022), which centered on a father teaching his young daughter to ride a bike. This latest takes a similar tack, as the mother now helps her young son learn to swim. The child is uncertain, but with her encouragement, he dips a toe into the water and picks up the fundamentals: lifting his head above the water, floating, pumping his arms and legs. There are snafus along the way—the child initially sinks, but Mom is right there. Finally the boy strikes out to swim, “On my own, / in the zone.” The whole family is reassuring, cheering the child on. Big sister does the backstroke and a handstand, displaying the confidence the little one is still learning. Brief but upbeat rhyming verses will especially appeal to beginning readers. Juanita’s carefully composed, muted line illustrations shine in the details, from swim bonnets on Mom and big sister to a mermaid tattoo on Dad’s side. Touching moments in the art pair well with the text. Black family pride and joy abound—this is a family that allows its little ones the space to make forays into independence while supporting them every step of the way. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Warmly buoyant. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2023
ISBN: 9781797212494
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
A quiet book about making a giant leap.
Lottie knows something no one else knows. Her mother and brother don’t know. Her swimming instructor does not know, and the other children in swim class certainly don’t know.
There is a shark that lives in the pool. It wants to eat Lottie—only Lottie—and Lottie is not going to let it get anywhere near her. Most children have had moments when they’ve sat on the sidelines watching others laugh and play because they were too scared to just dive in, and that is precisely where Lottie finds herself. Lucky for her, Walter shows up just in time. He sings, they read books, play in bubbles, and even share the same favorite food. But when it comes time for Lottie to face her fears, can Walter truly help? Walter, as readers and Lottie see but her family may not, is an enormous walrus. Walker’s soft and appropriately watery illustrations complement and extend her whimsical text, lending a dreamlike feel to the story. Readers will discern the shadowy, predatory shape of the shark below the surface of the water even as Lottie’s classmates splash and play, and they will sympathize, and they will giggle at the depictions of Walter’s huge bulk in Lottie’s tidy urban home while believing that Walter will protect her. Lottie, her mother, and her brother have light-brown skin and black hair.
A quiet book about making a giant leap. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-47038-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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