Author Sue Farrell and illustrator Robin Baird Lewis have teamed up again to create an attractive picture book for preschoolers. Like their first collaboration in 1994, To the Post Office with Mama, this new book presents a child’s-eye view of a weekly outing.

The loving relationship between a mother and her young son, John J., infuses this story with cuddly warmth. There isn’t much to the plot – Mama and John J.’s trip to the pool – but the language is so playful and the illustrations so amusing that the story is delightful to read.

Farrell, a Cape Breton Islander now living in Grande Prairie, Alberta, tells this story through the boy’s perspective. Lockers are “little closets,” water is “jiggly,” and the change room floor is “prickly, pokey and pebbly.” All five senses are evoked in John J.’s description of the visit, including the warm feel of air from the dryer and the delicious apple scent of Mama’s hair. The author portrays a child’s sense of wonder about how water magically disappears through a “circle on the floor.” Farrell has successfully captured a preschooler’s impressions of a pool visit. Children are sure to giggle as they listen to this simple tale of a common experience.

Baird Lewis, acclaimed for her art in the best-selling 1982 picture book Red is Best, has created beautiful watercolour snapshots of typical pool scenes. In keeping with the text, the illustrations present the child’s perspective, often including only partial views of Mama. The lively illustrations and descriptive text work together to create a memorable read-aloud picture book.