Written in verse, this non-fiction book took me by surprise. With a few short stanzas Julie Abery has you smiling along with Coach Sakamoto’s efforts to help some of Hawaii’s young swimmers grow stronger. The poetic style of the book will make it accessible to many readers.

You find out in the Author’s Note that Coach (as he was known to his students) was not a strong swimmer himself, but was a great scientist and researched swim strokes to help guide his team. They started by swimming upstream in ditches and then a pool, soon all the swimmers had a common dream of going to the Olympics.

Sakamoto’s Swim Club is illustrated by Chris Sasaki, who easily brought to life the lush countryside of Hawaii. Some of my favorite illustrations are of the plans along the ditch the swimmers swim in and the views of the swimmers both above the water and below.

If you are looking to build add Pacific Islander books or add books with themes of courage and perseverance, this inspirational story is a must have.