E Oma, Rapeti - Te Hopua Kaukau. Run, Rabbit - The Swimming Hole product reviews

Mr Five loves to go swimming. His cousins live by the sea in Northland, and every summer he and his sisters visit them for a holiday. They are all confident in the water, playing in the shallows and splashing each other. The climate is warm there; it makes sense to wear swimsuits all day so they can jump in and out of the water whenever they feel like it. The children look forward to this summer holiday every year; they live inland, in the Waikato, so the opportunity to swim in the sea rather than in the local pool or river is sheer magic.

When we started to read the story of Rapeti and the Swimming Hole, however, Mr Five was puzzled. He could not understand why Rapeti would be reluctant to get into the water, especially when all his friends were in there having a wonderful time. His Auntie came and sat with us, laughing at his puzzlement. She explained that she had grown up in Invercargill and had moved to the North Island only recently. It had frequently been far too cold to go swimming outside when she was a child so she too had been reluctant to get into the water.

Mr Five was curious. He knew that his Auntie enjoyed swimming now, so what had made her change? She explained that her friends had persuaded her to get into her swimsuit - just as Rapeti's friends had done - and had then shown her how much fun they were having. They assured her that she would soon warm up in the water if she kept moving and kicked a lot. In fact, it was much warmer in the water than out of it! Once she had decided to join them, she had realised just how enjoyable it was. Having good friends who encouraged her to give it a go had made all the difference.

Living in Aotearoa New Zealand means the sea is never far away. It is important that everyone learns to swim so that they are safe at the beach, or in lakes and rivers. Rapeti's excuses - too cold, too wet, too fast, too deep - are really masking the truth. He is scared! It is natural to be afraid of something unfamiliar, but when it is normalised as in this story it becomes possible for a child to tackle the unknown. The expression of utter delight on Rapeti's face in the final picture sums it all up; not only has be overcome his fear, but he has thoroughly enjoyed the experience.