Heather Fell in the Water

PreS-Gr 2—Everywhere Heather goes, from farms to art galleries, she falls in the water. As a result, her parents make her wear water wings at all times, even in bed. Then one day they determine that their child needs to learn how to swim. Unsurprisingly, Heather is frightened, convinced that the water dislikes her. But she climbs into the shallow end of a pool with her mother and father, takes off her water wings, and sits down. "Heather realised the water didn't hate her. It loved her. That was why it kept making her fall in. It wanted to be with her." She has a terrific time, makes a deal with the water to stop making her fall in all the time, and soon ends up a champion swimmer. With its gentle humor, short text, and vibrant cartoon-style watercolor illustrations, this delightful, oversize picture book is suitable for storytimes. Pair it with Claire Llewellyn's Near Water (Barron's, 2006) for an encouraging theme/unit on water safety.—Krista Welz, The North Bergen Public Library, NJ