Ruth Hearson

This is a cute little story about Leo going to the pool to swim. Leo loves the water and had a lot of fun learning to swim. With cute illustrations, this story is adorable. Children who are going to learn to swim, head off to a pool or may be reluctant to get in a bathtub, would be great candidates to be introduced to Leo in this story. I wish it had touched on a little bit about how to get over fear of the water, but all in all a cute read.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

I'm not sure this is, strictly speaking, a board book. It seems to depend on the library. Some put it in board books, some in picture books. In my library, it's in picture books so it stays with the Lola series (Leo is her little brother). It works just as well as a board book though.

Leo loves to play in the water and today he is going to baby swim class with daddy. There he and the other babies get to play and splash in the water. It's exciting and fun, but Leo is very sleepy afterward.

The simple text lists the steps, from swim diaper to holding the rail to splashing, that Leo goes through as he experiences the swimming pool.

Complementing the text are the sweet pictures showing an adorably chubby group of babies as well as a broad range of diversity. In addition to African-American Leo and his daddy, there is an Asian father/child pair, a range of body types shown in the moms, and a baby who only has one hand.

The book is an 8x8 square with a cardboard cover and thick cardstock pages with a smooth coating to make them easy to clean. So, not a typical board book but not as fragile as a traditional picture book.

Verdict: This is a delightful addition to the "first experiences" genre with a much-needed note of diversity. It's wonderful to see non-white families and fathers experiencing childhood moments together. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781580897259; Published 2016 by Charlesbridge; Purchased for the library… (meer)