When You Can Swim: A Guide to Contemporary Practices

Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Award

Winner of the Marilyn Baillie 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.

Jack Wong was born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His acclaimed picture book When You Can Swim, published by Scholastic, has won the Governor General's Award for Illustration, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. He is also the creator of the picture books All That Grows and The Words We Share. Jack lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.