Swimming, Swimming
by Gary Clement (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Drawing on his own memories of the best days of summer in the city, Gary Clement brings us an illustrated version of the beloved classic “Swimming, swimming in a swimming pool,” full of fun and humor.
The illustrations show a young boy and his friends spending a carefree day at the neighborhood pool. We see them walk to the pool together, change into their trunks and then spend hours swimming, cavorting, splashing and diving. The pool is full of moms, dads, other kids and babies, all enjoying a chance to cool off on a hot summer day. The boy returns home, tired but happy, and falls asleep holding onto his goggles in anticipation of another delightful day at the pool.
Snippet:
Swimming, swimming,
in a swimming pool.
When days are hot,
when days are cold,
in a swimming pool.
Six Traits Mini Lesson
Trait: Ideas The word in this classic song are the inspiration for an oversized hardcover comic. You don’t see any words until the boy and his friends are in the pool in the middle of the book.
Trait: Organization The story in the art shows the boy’s entire day. It begins when he wakes up and ends when he falls asleep. But this is not a typical “day in the life” story. It goes beyond what most “bed to bed” stories do.
Most “bed to bed” stories begin when the main character wakes up and end when the character goes to sleep. That’s a story arc pattern we all recognize, because we live it ourselves every day. The middle of the book, the day itself, is what makes the book work . . . or not.
So let’s look a little deeper. Is there really a story here? Or it is just a collection of random events (like most of the days we experience in real life)?
If you look closely you’ll see a swimming image on every page of this swimming story. There are swimming posters above his bed in the beginning and the ending. On the refrigerator in the kitchen, there is a photo of the boy and his friends wearing swimming medals. This is a story about “a day in the life” of a boy who loves to swim.
The words from the song only appear when the boy and his friends are in the water. Most of the story is in the art and that story works because it is focused, because it is clear. Each and every page shows the boy’s day and how much he loves to swim.
Watch the video to learn the melody and hand gestures for the song!
Copyright © 2015 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
