Deep Blue: Swimming in the Big Blue Sea

Swimming in the ocean can be scary, until Kayla uses her imagination to overcome her fears in this lyrical story for readers trying something new.
When Kayla’s favorite dolphin floatie loses its air at the beach, she wants to just sit on the sand. Daddy calls for her to play with him and her brother in the surf, but the DEEP BLUE SEA gulps sand out from underfoot, and a wave knocks her down, sending water up her nose. “I want to go home,” Kayla says. “I can’t swim without my dolphin.” But Daddy reminds her that she knows how to swim and even how to hold her breath underwater. He hoists her up on his shoulders and wades into the sea. “You be the island,” Kayla says. “I’ll be the lighthouse.” In a charming sequel to Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike, author Dashka Slater and illustrator Laura Hughes take on another milestone moment, showing that with patience, a parent’s easygoing support, and a creative mindset, a child can gain the confidence to tackle a daunting new experience—and grow from clinging to a dolphin floatie to swimming through the ocean just like a dolphin!

Dashka Slater is an award-winning journalist who writes for such publications as The New York Times Magazine and Mother Jones. She is the author of Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike, illustrated by Laura Hughes, as well as many books of fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. Dashka Slater lives in Oakland, California.
Laura Hughes is the award-winning illustrator of Dashka Slater’s Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike as well as Goodnight Tiger by Timothy Knapman and many other books for children. Her work is also featured on greeting cards, wrapping paper, and stationery. She lives in Hastings, England.