TOGETHER WE SWIM: Don't Miss This!

 I am a genuine fan of author Valerie Bolling. Since her picture book debut she has consistently captured everyday magic in lives of young children and families, with a special gift for starring Black families within scenarios that once ignored them. Black Child Joy is authentically portrayed without glamour or exaggeration, and her titles welcome ALL children to recognize themselves within those  universal situations, emotions, and developmental learning stages. I reviewed her earlier title, TOGETHER WE RIDE, here, including my "rememory" (thank you, Toni Morrison for that priceless vocabulary addition) of learning to ride a bike with my dad.

Chronicle Books, 2023

A companion title has splashed on the scene, and it is equally welcome and celebrated: TOGETHER WE SWIM!, also illustrated by Kaylani Juanita. I'd like to say that learning to swim is a universal experience, since it is skill more vital to a long life/survival than bike riding and does not require much equipment. Sadly, some recent statistics indicate that about 70% of all Black Americans DO NOT know how to swim. (Check article here.)

Before my praise/raves for this book begins, I'll mention the dedications. 

From the author:

"For every child who's learned to swim and for those who one day will." 

And from the illustrator: 

"To Black mothers, aunties, grandmothers, and guardians. We celebrate the entirety of you."

These captured some of my favorite aspects of this new offering. The portrayals of a new-learning child in a family of successful swimmers is ideal, especially in his ambivalence of eagerness and anxious concern. It is the mom, in this case, who does the direct instructing and provides hands-on support that allows the child to take that first dip, to grip and eventually release, to risk and trust, to succeed. The rest of his supportive family notices, cheers, and welcomes him to their world of confidence and joy in the watery world, a second happy habitat for life and joy. 

All that can be found in images, including expressive features and body language, watery effects that begin and end on end papers, and a resolve that extends the learning of new things into a family bonding moment that stays with you. 

But that visual narrative only enhances Bolling's brilliant rhymed text. Those of us who write picture book text often hear (and repeat) only a slice of the message we receive from agents and publishers: "not interested in rhymed text". The ENTIRE message is actually more true, and Bolling's crisp, creative, compelling rhymed titles prove the rule: No one wants to read attempted rhymed text unless it is precisely written in rhyme and meter, unless it tells the story better than prose would, unless it reads well aloud and in natural language. Bolling is not an exception to a rule,  she proves it. Rhymed picture book text that was well done is ALWAYS welcome, especially in families with young children. Since her first picture book was published a few years ago she continues to create lively language, gaining fans among readers and those who MAKE books..

A brief example:

"Toe dip,"

"Side grip"

TOGETHER WE SWIM, Interior Spread

I'll bet those four words generate your own "rememories" of making your way into a pool before learning to swim. They're all that are needed for the first two double page spreads, in which we meet this young man and his family, swimming along on his journey. By my count the entire text is 76 words, each perfectly achieving  exactly what it should; no more, no less. The two-to-three word lines in rhymed couplets allow young readers to chime in, to read along, to eventually read on their own with the same gradual acquisition of skill and growth in confidence that this swimmer displays. 

Don't waste another moment of summer before reading and sharing this delightful book. And check in your community to see if there are ways you can support the teaching of swimming in Black communities for all ages. Like riding a bike, it's never too late to learn!

A few years ago I had several swimsuits in great condition but not being used. I checked and found an elementary school that sponsored after-school swimming lessons but found some unable to participate due to lack of swimsuits or the means to buy them. I was able to make those lessons possible for a half dozen kids and adults at no cost to me other than dropping off those suits or mailing them to an address they provided. 

Diving into a Powerful Biography- of a Mermaid!

Before I finally took the plunge and dove into the blog-o-sphere about eighteen months ago, I thought long and hard about what I could add to the conversations about books that would be unique. In recent months I find that as I discover new picture books (or new to me), I'm so eager to share the titles and my thoughts about them that I rush to share a review and urge readers to check them out. 
That's not a bad thing, to be sure.

In this case, though, I'm steering myself back toward my original intent, which was to share my reflections on the broader, deeper role of picture books in the world of children's literature. 

There's POWER in picture books, of every type and for every age. So, returning to my first sentence, let's take the plunge and dive into one of the best, most powerful picture books, one especially suited to summer reading.

Scholastic Press, 2009

MERMAID QUEEN: The Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way to Fame is written by Shana Corey and illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. On first glance you might think this non-fiction biography about an Australian woman born in 1886 seems an obscure choice even for middle grade readers or for Women's History Month.  
You would be wrong. 
It offers oceans of benefits, beginning with a colorful and history-making character, insights into cultural standards in different countries and different centuries, backmatter to fill in details on Kellerman's life and accomplishments, and documentation of the many quotations so effectively interspersed throughout the narrative. It reflects the finest standards of research.

Yet it has the narrative and illustration quality of a fiction offering with the benefit of truth. It's inspiring that Annette's swimming accomplishments overcame not only her own disability but also the societal restriction and biases toward females, even little girls, of her time. Her determination to push back at the limits she confronted while gaining praise and admiration instead of disdain is captured well. Anyone who has ever suffered an anxiety attack when contemplating swimsuit season will marvel at her spirited defense of the value of swimming in suitable attire in court! I particularly enjoyed the ballet-like timeline of swimsuit design in the back pages.

This was a woman of power, and this is a picture book that transcends its "academic" target audience through the design and execution of its  joyful presentation. From the vivid swirling endpapers through each bold, exuberant double spread, the somewhat comically exaggerated figures will attract readers of any age. The alternating sizes and styles of fonts, action-packed scenes, and shifting perspectives always capture Annette Kellerman's contagious spirit: "Annette Kellerman loved to make waves."

 This amazing woman, who made her waves without the benefit of Title IX or other official support, is in the International Women's Swimming Hall of Fame. She paved the way for women to fully participate in water sports, invented water ballet, challenged endurance records, performed high dives, and appeared in movies.

Now that's power.