Everyone else in his family is an adept swimmer, but Little Joe can’t swim. His brother and sister laugh when he splashes around, which makes Little Joe sad. When a frog accidentally hops into the swimming pool, the other family members exert plenty of energy trying to get it out by splashing, grabbing, and scooping with a net, but the frantic frog eludes their efforts. Left alone with the exhausted creature, Little Joe slowly and gently picks the frog up and places him carefully on the pool deck. Inspired by the frog, Little Joe mimics its movements, and finds himself swimming “all the way … across the pool, / just like Frog.” This tale of patience and bravery on a small scale is accompanied by full-color realistic paintings of Little Joe’s success. (Ages 4-7)

Little Joe isn't afraid of the water, but he can't swim. He only splashes around. This makes him sad because everyone in his family swims easily and well -- and Joe longs to.

One day, a very small frog from a nearby pond hops over and right into the pool. Joe watches him swim back and forth, kicking hard with his strong back legs. Joe's brother and sister try to grab Frog or chase him out. Joe's dad brings a net to scoop up Frog. Even Joe's mother joins in. Joe just watches. But when his family grows tired of the chase, Joe manages to rescue the tiny frog. Then he looks at the pool. If he imitates the frog, will he finally be able to swim?

This charming story, simply told by a much-loved author, will encourage small children who long to swim, and delight all those who already can. Jane Browne's full-color paintings catch perfectly the small drama of Joe and Frog's adventure.