CM Magazine: On My Swim. (On My).

________________ CM . . . . Volume XXIV Number 39. . . .June 8, 2018

cover
On My Swim. (On My).

Kari-Lynn Winters. Illustrated by Christina Leist.
Vancouver, BC: Tradewind Books, July, 2018.
24 pp., hardcover, $15.95.
ISBN 978-1-926890-16-6.

Preschool-kindergarten / Ages 1-5.

Review by Harriet Zaidman.

**** /4

excerpt:

On my swim,
my summer swim,
I hear the breeze,
wishery-whish,
whishery-whish

and see a bird,
fisher-fish,
fisher-fish,

Kari-Lynn Winters is a university educator, a researcher and author of nearly 30 books for young children as well as academic materials on teaching. Her picture books are consistently educational and heartwarming.

     On My Swim is part of a series (On My Walk, On My Skis and On My Bike for toddlers up to kindergarten-age children, a series that uses simple language and catchy rhythms to offer children a pleasant exposure to positive outdoor activities. The short story poem follows a little girl and her family as they arrive at the beach in Vancouver and as she discovers what it’s like to experience swimming in the water. The book ends when the father brings the happy little girl out of the water and towels her dry.

      Christina Leist’s illustrations are consistent with her drawings in the other books in this series. She uses a combination of deeper colours for the family and their dog but muted pastels for the sea, birds, the beach and all the detritus strewn about. The thick block fonts add a sense of fun to the narrative. The effect is calming and inviting. The 6” x 7” format makes this book easy for children to hold, and the details in the pictures will certainly be scrutinized carefully.

      On My Swim, along with the others in this series, can be used by parents and caregivers to introduce new activities or reinforce the value of those in which they already participate. Equally important, the book can encourage children to love books and to love reading.

Highly Recommended.

Harriet Zaidman is a book reviewer and freelance writer in Winnipeg, MB.

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