“Zealy’s Very First Swim” by Roe DePinto

ZEALY’S VERY FIRST SWIM

Roe De Pinto
Outskirts Press (2016)
ISBN 9781478771142
Reviewed by Paola Belloso (age 8) for Reader Views (09/16)

In “Zealy’s Very First Swim” by Roe de Pinto, it was a very cold day and Zealy and her dad were not sure what to do. They decided to play ball and went down to the beach. Daddy started to roll the ball and then he picked it up with his nose. Zealy was so happy to see how her daddy could use his nose that she wanted to learn for herself, but her dad said her nose was too small. After playing for a while longer Zealy asked if she was too small to swim. Her dad explained to her that it was very important to learn to swim so she could catch fish. They started at the edge of the ocean and then went deeper. Zealy practiced and learned very fast. Then Whubba surprised her and they started playing together. It was Zealy’s very first swim, and her friend helped her. She learned from him and practiced all afternoon. When it was time to go, Zealy thanked Whubba and said goodbye. Her dad was very proud of her, and she was so tired and happy of what she learned.

I love how Zealy worked really hard all day to learn to swim, and that she learned with the help of her best friend and her dad. It is a great book that will teach you how nice it is to share, learn, and care for your friends as Whubba did.

A note from Paola’s mom:

I simply loved the lesson of happiness portrayed by Zealy after she worked so hard to reach her goal, with the help of a good friend. The following quote from the author is so true, “Sharing the fun times is the best lesson they could learn.”  “Zealy’s Very First Swim” by Roe de Pinto is an excellent story about learning, friendship, and sharing.