When You Can Swim by Jack Wong - ESSENTIAL

When You Can Swim by Jack Wong. PICTURE BOOK Scholastic. 2023. $19. 9781338830965 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3), EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Swimming can be scary if it is new to you. Jack Wong portrays all the beauty, wonder, and adventure that will open up once you learn how to swim. 

His beautiful illustrations show how fun and freeing it can be to be brave and get in the water. The introduction explains how many immigrant children did not grow up swimming and so the prospect can be scary. The author shows that it is well worth learning to swim and invites children of all backgrounds to try it. The illustrations are beautiful. The message is important. Being in the water might be scary but with a little bravery, it can be a wonderful experience. The children depicted in the book are from varied and diverse backgrounds. 

A. Snow