This is an absolutely delightful story set among a family of otters that will bring confidence to the most unconfident toddler as we join Scramble, a little otter who learns to swim. Beautiful illustrations complement the simple text brilliantly.
Scramble is a little otter who can't swim. At the beginning of the story, we find him in the middle of writing a list. It's his Can-do and Can't-do List.
The Can't-do side just says 'Swimming'. One small word. But not being able to swim is a big deal for Scramble.
It means he's teased by some of the riverbank animals. It means he feels left out when everyone else is in the water. And it means he spends hours and hours sitting on his own on the slippery rock wishing and wishing and wishing that he could.
But something is going round in Scramble's head. Something his mummy has said. Something his older sister has said.
'You've got to start small And so, slowly, slowly, Scramble builds his confidence in the water - overcoming each new incremental goal that he sets himself. Until, finally, Scramble really can swim! At the heart of this gentle story about learning a new skill is the message of encouragement - something that is important for toddlers everywhere.
Amber Stewart spent her early childhood in London and moved to rural Dorset as a teenager. She graduated from University College London with a degree in Russian language and literature and began an ongoing career in children's book publishing. Amber commutes daily to London from an old farmhouse in Buckinghamshire where she lives with her husband, two children and a menagerie of ponies, cats and dogs.
