Swimming with Dolphins

by Lambert Davis

With stunning underwater illustrations and a playful text, artist and first-time author Lambert Davis paints a magical portrait of a girl's visit to the beach and her exciting encounter with dolphins.

"Let me tell you about something magical that happens from time to time on our island. Early in the morning, just after the sun rises, my mother and I go down to the beach and wait. We watch the ocean...and if we are lucky, we see dolphins."
A young girl and her mother's day at the shore leads to an underwater adventure as they put on their snorkels and flippers to swim with a friendly pod of dolphins. Gliding and diving, spinning and leaping, the girl frolics with her dolphin friend and experiences the wonder and beauty of the underwater world. Factual backmatter included on last page.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this book. They are gorgeous. It makes me want to head to the beach right now. (Too bad the nearest beach is nearly a 12 hour drive away. The Great Salt Lake doesn't count as a beach.) The story itself is pretty simple. A girl and her mom head to the beach with snorkeling gear and the girl swims with the dolphins. But how magical that would be. It is on my bucket list. I appreciate that the author includes a note at the end that gives facts about dolphins and about swimming with dolphins. I love the last line of the author's note: "But as we increase our knowledge and awareness of these flipper-slapping, wave-riding, energetic acrobats, we can't help but value and appreciate the oceans and all the creatures that live in them."

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun tale about a mother and daughter going for a swim and interacting with dolphins. I thought the narrative was entertaining and the illustrations were terrific, but the story didn't seem very realistic. Still, it was fun to read aloud and we enjoyed reading this book together.

This book was selected as one of the books for the August 2013 - Summer Outdoor Activities discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Sandra Winans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! A girl and her mother go the ocean and watch the dolphins. The pictures show them snorkeling and swimming with the dolphins. They see other ocean creatures and enjoy the waves. The pictures are vivid and gives one the ability to truly visualize the experiences from a visit to the ocean. Truly shows a passion for exploring the ocean.

[Annika Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it is about dolphins and they are my favorite animal!

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book. Just read it to my 4 yr old neighbor and he took it home to read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for a storytime about the ocean. Big, beautiful pictures anf minimal text.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

In simple text, a little girl describes how she and her mother frequently go to the beach and swim with the dolphins. The author also provides a note in the back with further information on dolphins.

If you pay close attention to small details (like the kookaburra featured in the first illustration) and the only location mentioned by name in the author's note, you can figure out the setting of this book is Australia. It adds just a little further touch of exotic feel to the book. This is a super quick read, but there's a rich amount of further information in the author's note at the back. A good choice for ocean lovers or families preparing to go on a vacation where they will swim with dolphins.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 2 out of 5]

At what point did I know this book was going to be vapid? From the title itself, "Swimming with Dolphins?" Unfortunately, no; I picked it up without thinking much about that. When I read the inscription, "To the ocean and all her creatures," however, I had an inkling. But not until one or two pages into the book did I really appreciate what a lame and simplistic read it was. Not a gripper for the kiddos. A quick return to the library.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

There isn't much of a story here, but the illustrations of common dolphins are very nicely done. I was also very pleased to note that the dolphins are free-living in the ocean and swim with the people on their own volition, rather than being kept captive.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book and the illustrations. I wanted to be a marine trainer as a child so I have a special feeling for this book.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam really liked the images of dolphins in this, but I thought it was kind of weird.

[Sagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sparse on story, but pretty pictures.

[Cara Reads Kids · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daughter randomly pulled this off the shelf, and really liked the pictures.