BERNARD MAKES A SPLASH!

In this British import, the canine manager of a swimming pool enters a diving contest and overcomes his fear of the high diving board.

Bernard is a basset hound who manages the pool by day and secretly practices diving by himself at night. When elite dog divers gather for the pool’s annual competition, Bernard somehow signs up to participate. When it is his turn to dive, however, Bernard is too nervous to even try to participate in the first round. He has another chance in the second heat and finds encouragement from his new friend, a female German wirehaired pointer and accomplished diver named Perrie Piccalilli. Bernard completes his dive with somersaults, spirals, and spins, and he receives a special gold-star award for his efforts. The humorous, rhyming text is uneven in quality, with some lines spot-on in dramatic cadence and a few word pairs that break the rhythm or stretch for meaning and/or rhyme. The divers are a diverse cast of canines, including many breeds and both males and females. The audience for the competition includes other kinds of animals and people of many races. Mixed-media illustrations with collage elements have a loose, impressionistic effect and include endearing expressions on Bernard’s anxious face. An enticing cover shows Bernard diving into the pool; a hand-scrawled title in what looks like black crayon attracts with its naïve charm.

Bernard’s conquest of his inner fear stands out as a quiet triumph.