Holly’s Day at the Pool
Written and Illustrated by: Benson Shum
Published by: Disney – Hyperion 2017
Ages: 3 – 8 years
Theme: fear, swimming,
Opening Lines: When Piggy Wig is stuck in a tree, Holly is the only one who can save him. Piggy Wig is Dottie’s favorite toy.
Synopsis: “NOOOOOOO! I don’t want to go to the pool. What if . . . the water is too cold?” says Holly.
Holly the hippo imagines the worst: icebergs and icy water, penguins and seals! Her imagination bursts at every turn, making it harder and harder for her to step foot in the pool.
Until she get the chance to be a hero. Holly may be scared, but she is a very brave girl.
Why I like this: Beautifully illustrated in bright fresh colors. This is a Walt Disney Studio Artist Showcase book and one can easily see why. Cute overload this story has great value on helping kids who fear water. Holly has the “what if…” fear but deep down she is a brave girl and learns to overcome her fear of the water. Kids will relate to Holly and I’m sure many parents are baffled at how to help them overcome their fear of the water. I know one of my brothers was scared of the water and it was because he had been struck by a wave, me on the other hand loved the water. This is so adorable and a great gift for mums with toddlers, and young children.
Resources/Findings: This is Benson’s website showing clips and processes on such other projects he has worked on such as Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Moana to name a few. … http://bensonshum.com/contact-us/
Great ways of overcoming a child’s fear of the water…. http://www.wikihow.com/Ease-a-Child%27s-Fear-of-the-Water
Getting kids used to water can start in the backyard with games such as water pistols and small paddling pools and blowing bubbles. This gets kids used to water and having water over their faces which is often one of the main reasons they don’t like to get into a pool. The fear of water in their eyes or nose. https://www.popsugar.com/moms/6-Tips-Helping-Kids-Overcome-Fear-Water-27331161
I’m always pleased to be able to bring you some more special books that have come my way and be able to share them with you and join other great writers over at Susanna’s Blog, where there are literally hundreds of book reviews to view. So pop over and visit the lovely author, Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog and find the tab for Perfect Picture Books. Her blog is full of resources links and activities associated with books reviewed by many authors
Writer and Dreamer at work 
Oh, how I wish this book had been around six years ago when my daughter was trying to work through her fears of water to learn to swim. Even with all that behind us, I’m looking forward to reading this book to see how Holly overcomes her fears.
Sorry I didn’t get back to you till now. Hope you managed to come across this story Leslie.
I love the choice of a water animal like a hippo for this story!
Me too, Joanna. 🙂
What a perfect summer book for for kids who are afraid of water. Love the main character in the story is a hippo. Great cover and the illustrations sound lovely. My daughter was born a water baby. Had to really watch her and teach her to swim very early.
It is a fun story and the illustrations are lovely. Your daughter sounds a lot like me… 😉
By the looks of the cover, it seems Holly got over her fear of, wait, Piggy Wig gets stuck in a tree? How does this relate to Holly’s fea of water? There’s a twist, right? You’ve got me curious, now I must check out the book. 😆
LOL…. I’m not saying anything… my lips are sealed for fear of spoiler alert.. 😉
I’ve enjoyed each of the books in the Artists’ Showcase so far. Curious I hadn’t heard of this one. Trivia for all of us growing up with Disney live-action classic films, “Piggy Wig” ought to ring a bell. Thanks.
Hmm…. should it? This is a lovely book. You will enjoy! 🙂
Sounds like a really fun story. Thank you for highlighting it.
Your welcome Maria.