I received this book from the author/publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.

The Synopsis:

A touching tale of a lion cub named Giant who wants nothing more than to swim. With light-hearted dialogue and colorful illustrations, Giant the Lion is gentle inspiration for every child with dreams of greatness. Giant is going to learn to swim, and he is a little nervous. Good thing he as has good friends to cheer him on including Flighty Mighty the bird, Hara the Hippo, Mother Duck, Sally the Giraffe, Betty the Butterfly and Al the Alligator. Giant wades in with both paws and soon is kicking and paddling and swimming circles with the rest of the his friends. With the encouragement of his friends and a lot of practice, Giant becomes the fastest swimmer, good enough to compete in an upcoming swim competition on the lake. Whether water-shy or raring to go, young readers will find much to relate to as Giant experiences a childhood first, and what it means to never give up.

Review:

Author is Artemisa Gutierrez Laurence.

Illustrated by Izzy Bean.

Giant the Lion inspires kids to work hard for their dreams and how to appreciate the special people they have backing them in their lives.

The pictures are absolutely adorable and capture the mood of the book perfectly. The words are easy to read, though a little advanced for a beginning reader but would make a great read aloud. The kids learn the basics of swimming along with Giant the Lion as his team of coaches cover the breathing techniques and different swim strokes.

The story is sweet, encouraging and children 5-10 will enjoy reading about Giant and his friends. There is also some swim safety covered towards the end of the book, causing me to give Giant the Lion; The Lion Who Could Swim a full 5 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend it especially as a summer read!

Rated: * * * * *