Callum Takes Swimming Lessons

Callum Takes Swimming Lessons is a treasure for any young child learning to swim, and a gentle guide for parents who want to help their children learn and keep them safe in the pool.

At the beginning of this heartwarming story about a child’s first season of swimming lessons, Callum’s swim teacher, Miss Marcia, earns his trust and draws on his natural curiosity and imagination to help him feel comfortable in the water. Callum has a lot of fun with Miss Marcia and her little “animal friends,” who help him learn. Colorful illustrations show what happens at each step as Callum and Miss Marcia enjoy his lessons.

By the end of his first set of lessons, Callum has gone from a child who wasn’t quite sure he wanted to get into the pool to a confident little boy with solid swimming and water-safety skills. He can float on his front and back, swim underwater, and lift his head to take a breath. He can jump into the pool and swim across to the other side, taking a breath whenever he needs one. He has also learned important safety rules, and techniques for staying safe in the pool. And he’s looking forward to coming back for more lessons next summer.

At the back of the book is a section for grown-ups, with tips for keeping children safe in and around swimming pools.

An experienced and patient instructor, author Marcia Stanley has taught swimming lessons for more than 30 years, and also taught preschool for many years. She wrote Callum Takes Swimming Lessons because she feels strongly about the advantages of learning to swim. “While most people look at swimming as a recreational activity,” she says, “it’s also a safety measure. All children should learn how to swim.”