What do you think?
Rate this book
Splash
Claire Cashmore, MBE and Paralympic gold medallist, was born without a left forearm – but she never let being different stand in the way of her big dreams. Splash is based on Claire’s real-life experience: this gold-medal-winning swimmer really was scared of water … until one day, everything changed!
These are Claire’s big sisters.
They call her Bear and ruffle her hair.
And whatever Claire’s sisters can do,
Claire can do too …
But there is one thing Claire won't do …The water in the swimming pool makes her feel squirmy inside. Follow her sisters? No thank you! Not today?
Can Claire conquer her fears? Can she set foot in the water – and what will happen if she does?
Splash features a brilliantly bold heroine, who happens to be differently abled, and brims with fun, positivity and Claire Cashmore’s inspirational growth mindset message.
These are Claire’s big sisters.
They call her Bear and ruffle her hair.
And whatever Claire’s sisters can do,
Claire can do too …
But there is one thing Claire won't do …The water in the swimming pool makes her feel squirmy inside. Follow her sisters? No thank you! Not today?
Can Claire conquer her fears? Can she set foot in the water – and what will happen if she does?
Splash features a brilliantly bold heroine, who happens to be differently abled, and brims with fun, positivity and Claire Cashmore’s inspirational growth mindset message.
32 pages, Paperback
Published June 10, 2021
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 8, 2021
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
Paralympic gold medallist Claire Cashmore has written her first children’s picture book. The story tells the tale of Claire’s childhood and how she actually hated the water when she was little. It is also about how claire, who was born without a left forearm, never let her disability stand in her way and she made sure she could do everything and anything she wanted to by believing in herself.
Splash is a delightful children’s book that was such a joy to read. It is filled with inspirational messages as well as being one of the few children’s books that feature a disabled character.
I adored how Claire has such a beautiful relationship with her older sisters who have always believed in her. I also adored how it took plenty of coaxing to get Claire into the water but once she was in she realised how much she loved being in it and she then worked at becoming the best swimmer she could be which led to her becoming an Paralympic Gold Medalist.
The illustrations by artist Sharon Davey are colourful, bright, full-page, and represent the plot perfectly and I’m sure little ones will find them a joy to look at.
This is a book that will show children to be positive, to dream big, and to never give up on those dreams.
Paralympic gold medallist Claire Cashmore has written her first children’s picture book. The story tells the tale of Claire’s childhood and how she actually hated the water when she was little. It is also about how claire, who was born without a left forearm, never let her disability stand in her way and she made sure she could do everything and anything she wanted to by believing in herself.
Splash is a delightful children’s book that was such a joy to read. It is filled with inspirational messages as well as being one of the few children’s books that feature a disabled character.
I adored how Claire has such a beautiful relationship with her older sisters who have always believed in her. I also adored how it took plenty of coaxing to get Claire into the water but once she was in she realised how much she loved being in it and she then worked at becoming the best swimmer she could be which led to her becoming an Paralympic Gold Medalist.
The illustrations by artist Sharon Davey are colourful, bright, full-page, and represent the plot perfectly and I’m sure little ones will find them a joy to look at.
This is a book that will show children to be positive, to dream big, and to never give up on those dreams.
February 25, 2023
Library Date ♡
April 2, 2022
Splash is a great story that follows Claire from a young child as she learns not to be scared of the water and all the possibilities it holds.
The children loved this story! With the determination and perseverance we see in the story it is a lovely story to inspire the children that they are able to anything they want as long as you believe in yourself. It was great to see how Claire was initially scared but had the support of her sisters as it reminds the children that sometimes things aren't always easy but that there's always someone who will support them.
I think the way it shows disability is great as it should be normalised rather than characters being defined by their disability. This book shows the disability perfectly as it's not mentioned until nearly the end and all the focus is on the challenges and achievements of the character which is relatable to all children but also shows disabilities in the pictures which would be great for children who are similar and want to see characters like them. It took the children until half way through the book to question where the arm was and after a brief explanation from the back of the book they were back to focusing on wanting to see Claire win the race which they were really hoping she would!
The illustrations are lots of fun and the children loved seeing all of the fun things the sisters did together. They particularly enjoyed seeing the splash page and seeing all the tricks Claire would do in the water, a few of them wanted to try those themselves!
The children loved this book and I'm sure we'll be reading this book regularly. This is such an inspiring story that shows you should always believe in yourself and never give up which is the perfect lesson for children to learn and my favourite message from the story was that if you don't achieve it today there's always tomorrow.
The children loved this story! With the determination and perseverance we see in the story it is a lovely story to inspire the children that they are able to anything they want as long as you believe in yourself. It was great to see how Claire was initially scared but had the support of her sisters as it reminds the children that sometimes things aren't always easy but that there's always someone who will support them.
I think the way it shows disability is great as it should be normalised rather than characters being defined by their disability. This book shows the disability perfectly as it's not mentioned until nearly the end and all the focus is on the challenges and achievements of the character which is relatable to all children but also shows disabilities in the pictures which would be great for children who are similar and want to see characters like them. It took the children until half way through the book to question where the arm was and after a brief explanation from the back of the book they were back to focusing on wanting to see Claire win the race which they were really hoping she would!
The illustrations are lots of fun and the children loved seeing all of the fun things the sisters did together. They particularly enjoyed seeing the splash page and seeing all the tricks Claire would do in the water, a few of them wanted to try those themselves!
The children loved this book and I'm sure we'll be reading this book regularly. This is such an inspiring story that shows you should always believe in yourself and never give up which is the perfect lesson for children to learn and my favourite message from the story was that if you don't achieve it today there's always tomorrow.
November 25, 2024
This story is based on the life of paralympic gold medalist. We begin by seeing Claire's hesitancy around water--even though she can do everything else that her sisters can. Then we see her grow and grow in her abilities until she earns the ultimate medal. My favorite page is the last page--so inspiring!! This story is great for schools, libraries, and home bookshelves.
October 2, 2025
A really positive and adorable book about a girl with a missing arm/hand discovering the joy of swimming (which was such an adorable scene) and going for competitions and more. I loved how supportive the sisters were, though I would have liked to see the parents a bit more as well. The art was really sweet!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews