Sakamoto's Swim Club

May 1, 2021

K-Gr 3-This short, brightly illustrated picture book tells the story of Japanese Hawaiian swim coach Soichi Sakamoto and his swim club's journey to the 1948 London Olympics. After a brief preface, the story opens with children swimming in the irrigation ditches of the sugar plantations in Maui, and Sakamoto offering to coach them, despite being a poor swimmer himself. In a series of iambic quatrains on each page, Abery tells the story sparely with a consistent rhyme that makes it sound and feel like a gentle bedtime story. Sasaki's upbeat and colorful digital illustrations show the action depicted by the words while adding to the story's joyful tone with lush depictions of Maui. For most of the book, this structure works, but it stumbles slightly when covering World War II. An illustration of smoke billowing from ships at sea accompanies the text, "Olympic hopes-/ crushed by war." The following illustration of an empty pool accompanies the lines, "Dawn raids shatter/ peaceful skies./ Athletes answer/ country's cries." Though cleverly rendered, this darker side of the story leaves out context that adults will need to provide for younger readers. An author's note follows the story, featuring a group photo and more detailed information. A brief list of resources concludes the book. VERDICT Despite its brevity, this book is sure to appeal to young readers and is a great contribution to sports history as well as Hawaiian history. A good addition to most children's nonfiction collections.-Erica Ruscio, Ventress Memorial Lib., Marshfield, MA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2021
A science teacher trains kids who are playing in irrigation ditches how to swim, eventually leading them to the Olympics. In the 1930s, on the Hawaiian island of Maui, migrant workers cut sugar cane, leaving their kids to their own devices. In the hot sun, the kids swim and dive in the irrigation ditches that run through the fields, but the police yell at them and chase them out. When science teacher Soichi Sakamoto sees this, he decides to help the kids. He convinces the authorities to let the kids use the ditch, which he trains them to treat like a swimming lane. Sakamoto creates a daily program for them to follow, making his students swim upstream to make them stronger. Over time a pool is built, and the Three-Year-Swim Club is established with dreams of the Olympics. But war interrupts their dreams until they finally get their chance in the 1948 Olympics. Told in clipped, rhyming verse, this is a quick, simplified account of a lesser-known inspirational story in sports history. Sakamoto and the swimmers' journey to the Olympics exemplifies perseverance and determination. It is an excellent read-aloud, with additional information for adults to give context in the form of an author's note that provides the story again in prose, with more details and additional facts. The illustrations are full of bright colors, befitting the beautiful landscape; both kids and Sakamoto are depicted with brown skin and black hair. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Exudes inspiration and dedication. (sources) (Informational picture book. 5-8)

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Starred review from March 1, 2021
Grades K-3 *Starred Review* In the 1930s on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the sugar plantation workers' children were not allowed to swim in its irrigation ditches, but that didn't stop them from trying. After watching young people repeatedly running from the plantation policeman on horseback, Soichi Sakamoto, a Japanese American science teacher, persuaded the company to let him take responsibility for the kids. He became their swimming coach. Growing stronger and faster day by day, they responded enthusiastically to Mr. Sakamoto's innovative training program and high standards. Their team won the 1939 national championship. Because of WWII, the Olympics were cancelled in 1940 and 1944, but at the 1948 Olympic Games, a member of Sakamoto's swim club won two gold medals. It's a heartening story, concisely told in terse verse, with stanzas such as "Run! / Policeman's on his beat. / Children scatter / in the heat." The rhythm drives the momentum of the story, which unfolds over many years but reads very quickly. The informative, appended author's note will be handy for answering children's questions. Rugged, energetic, and purposeful, the digital artwork uses perspective to offer different viewpoints, sometimes putting viewers right down in the irrigation ditch or pool with the swimmers. A vibrant, original picture book.

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