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Swing
Recess. A swing set. An argument. A resolution! Michael Hall’s transformative Swing is a celebration of friendship, joy, and kindness. Readers of all ages will look forward to seeing how four unlikely friends navigate their differences. A surprising and standout story from the acclaimed and bestselling creator of A Crayon’s Story and Perfect Square.
It’s recess! Four letters (O, V, E, and L) race to the playground to claim the swings. In several pages of recess banter and bullying, one letter is told it’s too round, one is from the wrong end of the alphabet, and one is a vowel and therefore not welcome. What does it take to save the day? Kindness . . . and a heavenly and joyful swing. And what do the letters—friends now because of their shared experience—spell when they finally come back to Earth? LOVE.
A story about sharing, acceptance, and kindness, this transcendent and colorful story will keep readers guessing while also introducing the letters of the alphabet. Swing is for anyone who loves to hop on a swing and fly to the sky.
It’s recess! Four letters (O, V, E, and L) race to the playground to claim the swings. In several pages of recess banter and bullying, one letter is told it’s too round, one is from the wrong end of the alphabet, and one is a vowel and therefore not welcome. What does it take to save the day? Kindness . . . and a heavenly and joyful swing. And what do the letters—friends now because of their shared experience—spell when they finally come back to Earth? LOVE.
A story about sharing, acceptance, and kindness, this transcendent and colorful story will keep readers guessing while also introducing the letters of the alphabet. Swing is for anyone who loves to hop on a swing and fly to the sky.
Audible Audio
Published May 19, 2020
3 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Michael Hall
17 books107 followersMichael Hall is the author/illustrator of The New York Times bestseller, My Heart Is Like a Zoo, as well as the critically acclaimed Perfect Square, It’s an Orange Aardvark, Red: A Crayon’s Story, and Frankencrayon.
Before becoming a children’s author, Michael was an award-winning graphic designer whose work — including graphic identities for the City of Saint Paul, Macalester College, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Hennepin County Medical Center — has been widely recognized for its simple and engaging approach.
Michael lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Before becoming a children’s author, Michael was an award-winning graphic designer whose work — including graphic identities for the City of Saint Paul, Macalester College, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Hennepin County Medical Center — has been widely recognized for its simple and engaging approach.
Michael lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
November 30, 2020
Using random letters of the alphabet, this is a story about getting along with those who we perceive as different. I am surprised that the average rating is 3.65 stars as kids will enjoy figuring out the
real
message in this story.
May 21, 2020
Very simple children's picture book story about a group of letters all wanting to go on the swings together, however, they are always excuses for why they can't. Hoping the story would be a little longer. I did listen to the audiobook and thought the narrator was good and clear to understand.
November 29, 2020
Deceptively simple. So many easy questions grown ups can ask to engage with the reader to spot the differences and similarities between the alphabet letters - that gratifyingly spell an obvious word at the end.
All of the basic concepts are there - shapes, colors, letter recognition, numbers, opposites... All with a simple message about acceptance wrapped up together in a familiar schoolyard activity.
(And the illustrated motion of the letters flying high in the air somehow perfectly encapsulated the joy of swinging.)
All of the basic concepts are there - shapes, colors, letter recognition, numbers, opposites... All with a simple message about acceptance wrapped up together in a familiar schoolyard activity.
(And the illustrated motion of the letters flying high in the air somehow perfectly encapsulated the joy of swinging.)
May 21, 2020
Here is a title that fits my criteria for a Caldecott medal, creative, child relatable, colorful, active, and subtly teachers a message. Love this one, that uses letters to point out differences in each of the featured four letters, and ultimately the four letters enjoy an activity together. And this title works because it is not aimed to a particular segment of society.
June 16, 2020
The highest praise for children’s book is when a child chooses a book over and over again among the hundred or so books that are on the shelf. Michael Hall’s new book ‘Swing” is that book. And who doesn’t like to swing?! My twin granddaughters are both captivated by the bright colors in the clever illustrations, the details in the illustrations and especially the storyline. Then when we’ve read it through once, they say ‘again’! As an adult I can read it over and over because I use the conflict in the story as a springboard for discussions of not bullying others and how to handle conflict on the playground, of diversity and inclusion, asking them ‘what would you do?’ Heady stuff for three year olds but Michael makes it accessible through his charming, gentle book “Swing’.
January 10, 2026
I enjoyed this book and rated it 5* because I'm a grownup and it surprised ME. I knew it was going to teach me about things/people being different and needing to get along. The surprises came in the middle with the surprise deeper teaching moment and at the end. Silly me, I didn't see the end coming which is lovely. No spoilers here; you will have to see for yourself, no matter if you are a straight-lined letter, a round letter or a vowel. No matter if you are in the middle of the alphabet or at the end. You will have to go to the swingset yourself to find out!
August 22, 2021
Featured in a grandma reads session.
My youngest ones read this to me today, where some rather aggressive straight lined letters resisted a round letter joining. Then the round one convinced one of the straight lined letters to swing. The other two popped on. Soon all were having fun and flipping all about.
The metaphor is simple, but apt. The kids recognized it, especially at the end.
A cute read, and so fun when they turn the tables and read to me!
My youngest ones read this to me today, where some rather aggressive straight lined letters resisted a round letter joining. Then the round one convinced one of the straight lined letters to swing. The other two popped on. Soon all were having fun and flipping all about.
The metaphor is simple, but apt. The kids recognized it, especially at the end.
A cute read, and so fun when they turn the tables and read to me!
March 3, 2021
3.5 stars. Nice, colorful artwork. Might be too wordy for a storytime, but promotes a positive message.
January 13, 2021
Lovely illustrations. I could see right away the word the letters could spell. Great theme without being preachy.
May 3, 2020
I wanted to really love this book but...
The letter L is enjoying time on a swing during recess. When V asked to join in the fun, L rejected V because V was from the opposite end of the alphabet. Same when E and O ask to play, as they are also different (E is a vowel and O is a round shape). Regardless, each climbs onto a swing and all four letters begin to swing back and forth until they align to form the word "LOVE".
While the intent is great and the execution is great, the outcome is very predictable and the story ends up feeling a bit forced. Hall intentionally gives no gender to the anthropomorphic letters, referring to each as "the first letter", "the second letter", etc. The digitally combined collages of painted and cut paper are up to Hall's high standards - bright and colorful with plenty of action, good use of white space, and pleasing spacing.
The use of sans serif font and simple story makes this useful for beginning readers. They will also learn names of ordinal numbers.
Excellent to use with others about social acceptance and anti-bullying, this would also be a fine companion to use with Kathryn Otoshi's One (KO Books, c2008).
Recommended for PreSchool-K.
The letter L is enjoying time on a swing during recess. When V asked to join in the fun, L rejected V because V was from the opposite end of the alphabet. Same when E and O ask to play, as they are also different (E is a vowel and O is a round shape). Regardless, each climbs onto a swing and all four letters begin to swing back and forth until they align to form the word "LOVE".
While the intent is great and the execution is great, the outcome is very predictable and the story ends up feeling a bit forced. Hall intentionally gives no gender to the anthropomorphic letters, referring to each as "the first letter", "the second letter", etc. The digitally combined collages of painted and cut paper are up to Hall's high standards - bright and colorful with plenty of action, good use of white space, and pleasing spacing.
The use of sans serif font and simple story makes this useful for beginning readers. They will also learn names of ordinal numbers.
Excellent to use with others about social acceptance and anti-bullying, this would also be a fine companion to use with Kathryn Otoshi's One (KO Books, c2008).
Recommended for PreSchool-K.
May 26, 2021
Poster and study guide
https://d1o5nklc3mwtqp.cloudfront.net...
Michael Hall personifies the alphabet. Now the alphabet is divided into 'neighborhoods' and the 4 that end up at the swing set are from different 'hoods and are reluctant to let the next join.
Good thing these 4 don't listen to the other and they make fun and spell a special word.
https://d1o5nklc3mwtqp.cloudfront.net...
Michael Hall personifies the alphabet. Now the alphabet is divided into 'neighborhoods' and the 4 that end up at the swing set are from different 'hoods and are reluctant to let the next join.
Good thing these 4 don't listen to the other and they make fun and spell a special word.
May 6, 2020
See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...
SWING is the story of four letters who all would like to play on the swings. When the first letter (L) is approached by the second letter (V), they do not want to let them join, because they are from the middle whereas the second is from the far end. When the third letter (E) asks to join, the first two do not want them to join, because E is a vowel and therefore different. When the fourth letter (O) comes, the first three do not want them to swing, as O is round and they are made of straight lines. The fourth letter convinces them all to swing (after some more tussles), and when they do, they are all happy (and spell LOVE).
What I loved: The colors and ideas here are very cute. The story is relatively simple, and the colors are really bright. Children can relate to playing on the playground and approaching new potential friends, who may be different than they are. There are also some interesting new ways to classify the alphabet presented herein, which may spark some creativity.
What left me wanting more: A big thing that is missing is the resolution of the fighting (they eventually just all swing and are happy), but they were pretty rude to each other in the process with excluding based on differences. Reading between the lines, you can see that the four make something special together (LOVE), but this is never stated and their arguing not resolved- just ultimately ignored.
They are also all referred to as the first/second/third/fourth letter, which is not always easy to say aloud and also difficult to remember which one is which. The sequential ordering could be helpful in terms of a learning point, but the order is not so obvious, so it can be confusing at times.
Final verdict: Overall, this is a cute and simple picture book that presents new ways to look at the alphabet and can spark some discussions about welcoming others who may seem different than you.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
SWING is the story of four letters who all would like to play on the swings. When the first letter (L) is approached by the second letter (V), they do not want to let them join, because they are from the middle whereas the second is from the far end. When the third letter (E) asks to join, the first two do not want them to join, because E is a vowel and therefore different. When the fourth letter (O) comes, the first three do not want them to swing, as O is round and they are made of straight lines. The fourth letter convinces them all to swing (after some more tussles), and when they do, they are all happy (and spell LOVE).
What I loved: The colors and ideas here are very cute. The story is relatively simple, and the colors are really bright. Children can relate to playing on the playground and approaching new potential friends, who may be different than they are. There are also some interesting new ways to classify the alphabet presented herein, which may spark some creativity.
What left me wanting more: A big thing that is missing is the resolution of the fighting (they eventually just all swing and are happy), but they were pretty rude to each other in the process with excluding based on differences. Reading between the lines, you can see that the four make something special together (LOVE), but this is never stated and their arguing not resolved- just ultimately ignored.
They are also all referred to as the first/second/third/fourth letter, which is not always easy to say aloud and also difficult to remember which one is which. The sequential ordering could be helpful in terms of a learning point, but the order is not so obvious, so it can be confusing at times.
Final verdict: Overall, this is a cute and simple picture book that presents new ways to look at the alphabet and can spark some discussions about welcoming others who may seem different than you.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
September 13, 2020
Anthropomorphized letters of the alphabet are initially wary and unwelcoming but eventually play happily.
The story also talks about prejudice using letters of the alphabet metaphor. The letters are mistrustful of each other based on their places within alphabetical order, their sounds, and their line shapes. But they are able to overcome their initial apprehension through positive interaction.
This picture book addresses fear of those who are different. Fear is a protective mechanism designed to keep us safe, and it is natural for children to initially be afraid of people and things that are different. In a safe and supportive environment, such as the school setting within the story, these fears are easier to address and overcome.
An important morals of the story are that different doesn't mean bad or wrong; it just means different and that there's room for everyone both in the world and on the swing set.
A good discussion point from this story is that while it's okay to be caution and on one's guard around someone one doesn't know, it is not okay to act hostile and exclude someone from public spaces just because that person is different.
The story also talks about prejudice using letters of the alphabet metaphor. The letters are mistrustful of each other based on their places within alphabetical order, their sounds, and their line shapes. But they are able to overcome their initial apprehension through positive interaction.
This picture book addresses fear of those who are different. Fear is a protective mechanism designed to keep us safe, and it is natural for children to initially be afraid of people and things that are different. In a safe and supportive environment, such as the school setting within the story, these fears are easier to address and overcome.
An important morals of the story are that different doesn't mean bad or wrong; it just means different and that there's room for everyone both in the world and on the swing set.
A good discussion point from this story is that while it's okay to be caution and on one's guard around someone one doesn't know, it is not okay to act hostile and exclude someone from public spaces just because that person is different.
June 23, 2020
This is probably a 3.5 rounded up to a 4. This is a story about 4 letters who all want to play on the swings, but are having trouble playing together. When I read this story, I actually saw all kind of connections that could be made to different lesson ideas for students, so I think this is a book that educators could come back to again and again. The pictures are colourful, but relatively simple as well which is great for some kids in terms of actually listening to the story. Have a read for yourself and see what you think about the relationship between the 4 letters and what they learn by playing together.
August 20, 2020
Predictable. Kind of hard to sort out dialogue ("first letter said this," "second letter said this" instead of "L" or "O" said...) but the story moves nicely. The illustrations are crisp, friendly, inviting, clean, colorful. A good sense of place, or setting. Great concepts for kids. Fantastic book to promote group discussion and reflection. Some beautiful page spreads when the letters are swinging together. Great sense of movement. Successfully simple text, text placement and use of white space. And COLOR! Did I mention the vibrant, successful use of color? Title feels a little cliche somehow.
September 24, 2022
What a lovely, enchanting way to share a story about kindness and empathy. Each of the 4 letters L-V-E-O arrive at the swing sets wanting to swing. But each are discouraged from joining, each for different reasons ~~ "from the wrong neighborhood", too round ~~ finally the O suggests they just swing and when they do, their order is changed to read LOVE.
Simple pastel illustrations with lots of white space emphasize the importance of focusing on the shape of each letter. Great for letter identification lesson, alphabetical order, and of course, SEL.
Simple pastel illustrations with lots of white space emphasize the importance of focusing on the shape of each letter. Great for letter identification lesson, alphabetical order, and of course, SEL.
June 3, 2020
Red: a Crayon's Story, by Michael Hall is one of my favorite books of all time. Swing was good, but it didn't hit out of the park for me like Red did.
That being said, what a wonderful illustration of what happens when people who are "different", i.e. live in a different place, look different, act different, get together to hang out. All of a sudden, differences aren't so important.
Timely book for right now, June 2020. Recommended for ages 3-103.
That being said, what a wonderful illustration of what happens when people who are "different", i.e. live in a different place, look different, act different, get together to hang out. All of a sudden, differences aren't so important.
Timely book for right now, June 2020. Recommended for ages 3-103.
September 10, 2020
When L, V, E, and O meet up on the playground at different times, they each want to play together but also don't want to because of their differences. Eventually they decide to swing and start to get along. This is well illustrated, even with its simplicity. My only change would be that the characters are called "first letter" etc. instead of by their letter name, it could be confusing at times.
October 24, 2020
“I’m sorry ... These swings are saved for letters from my neighborhood.”
Each letter coming to the playground is different, but they all want to swing. The first letter is looking for others who are more like him. But they figure out that they can all have fun together, even though they don’t look anything like one another.
Nicely done.
Each letter coming to the playground is different, but they all want to swing. The first letter is looking for others who are more like him. But they figure out that they can all have fun together, even though they don’t look anything like one another.
Nicely done.
October 14, 2020
L is on the swing. Then V comes up. L tells V it can't swing next to it because it's from another part of the alphabet. Then E comes up as a vowel, different, then O. they all end up swinging together and it spells out LOVE.
February 18, 2021
LOVE Michael Hall. Always so creative, cute, and funny. Readers will learn how to play with others, how to be kind, how to share, how to have patience and friendships, and about the alphabet, vowels, and round versus straight lines.
November 2, 2021
Some books are amazing books because of the discussion they provoke or inspire. Swing is a book like that. I dare someone to read this and not want to talk about prejudice and not want to treat everyone a little more equal.
May 20, 2022
An interesting look at bullying seen through the eyes of letters on a playground. Each letter comes in one at a time and finds a reason to exclude any letters that join later. The transition to the learning moment at the end felt a bit forced.
October 3, 2022
I'm not sure how I missed this when it was published. All of Hall's work is deceptively simple. Here the letters L, E, V, and O are unsure about each other - vowels are different, roundedness is different -- but they all come together in the end and spell... LOVE.
October 30, 2024
It’s recess! V, E, L, and O race for the swings. Bullying follows. One letter is too round, one is from the wrong part of the alphabet, and one is a vowel and not welcome. Here is an unexpectedly kind ending!
May 24, 2020
Loved it! Cute book about working out differences!
June 3, 2020
Empathy, love, understanding, differences
June 24, 2020
Sweet book that could be used in counseling to explain exclusion and being unkind and then, in working together you discover fun and L-O-V-E. Very short so great for K-3 ages.
July 16, 2020
Forced concept. Pedantic. Unsafe swinging practices (haha).
July 16, 2020
Bright, positive, and cute little book with a great message about the folly of excluding others.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews