When You Can Swim

Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Award

A reverent celebration of learning to swim among a diverse cast of children and families who each experience the mysterious joys of water in nature.

In this exploration of what it truly means to swim, expansive vignettes introduce sandpipers, tannin-soaked lakes, and the feeling of a small waterfall on sun-soaked shoulders. But what about those who are afraid of the water's mysterious ways and resist learning to swim? Painting a compelling picture of the many joys and surprises that the water holds, artist and author Jack Wong has delivered an empowering, poetic journey that invites children to discover their confidence within to receive the warmth and wonder of the natural world.

Publisher: Orchard Books
Published: 05/02/2023
Pages: 48
Weight: 1.2lbs
Size: 9.20h x 11.20w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781338830965
Age: Ages 4-8


Award: Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards - Winner


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 03/27/2023
School Library Journal 05/01/2023 pg. 74
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2023
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2023 pg. 102
BookPage 06/01/2023

About the Author

JACK WONG has created a masterpiece drawn from his lived experience of growing up with a grandmother who spent her childhood in the rivers of Borneo and a mother -- growing up in late 1950s China -- who was forbidden to learn to swim. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, Jack holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, Canada, where he now lives with his wife and two cats.