Saturday, June 26, 2010

Children's Books About Water Safety

Weekly Trip to the Library for Nannies and Au Pairs

On Thursday we linked to the NY Daily News report of a nanny and a child in her care had drowned in a residential pool. Click here to see that story.

With this tragedy on our minds it's only fitting to recommend two children's books about water safety for this Saturday's Weekly Trip to the Library for nannies and au pairs.

Treasure at Sea for Dragon and Me, Water Safety for Kids (and Dragons)
Jean E Pendziwol (Author), Martine Gourbault (Illustrator)


A girl and her dragon friend go to the beach with her father and learn water-safety rules as they play at being pirates and finding treasure. The rhyming text works fairly well. Created in pencil crayon, the cartoon illustrations convey the lessons clearly for the most part. However, in one instance, the girl points to a no diving sign and tells her friend not to dive off the dock because of shallow water; then, according to the text, she jumps into the water and stands on her hands to illustrate. The accompanying picture shows her feet sticking straight up out of the water, possibly giving the mistaken impression that she actually dove in. A "Dragon's Water Safety Rhyme" and a safety checklist are included. This offering is on an important topic for which there is a scarcity of easy material. For this reason, it might be considered for purchase, although it's not particularly outstanding in text or art.
Reveiw By Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Watch Out! Near Water (Watch Out! Books)
By Claire Llewellyn (Author) Mike Gordon (Illustrator)



Young children need to understand the different ways to keep safe when in or near water — whether at the swimming pool, at the beach or lake, or out in a boat. With humorous artwork and simple text, this book also contains notes for child caregivers and parents to help them use the book most effectively.

In this children's book, kids are taught the importance of learning to swim, and are advised on following safety rules in pools. They are also instructed on the extra care they must take when at the seashore, and the need to follow safety rules when they are in open boats. The book gives kids safety advice that applies inside and outside the home, while they are traveling in a car, and when they are enjoying nature and having outdoor fun. The lessons illustrated in all Watch Out! books help children identify safety issues and avoid potentially dangerous situations. Appealing cartoon-style illustrations on every page.

Stop by next Saturday for another Weekly Trip to the Library for nannies and au pairs. If you have any book suggestions for nannies or au pairs please let us know by sending an email to Stephanie@bestnannynewsletter.com.

2 comments:

Lisa said...

Thanks Stephanie for sharing these, it gave me an idea to research something else. Water Safety Coloring Books online, here are some links.

http://lacoast.gov/new/Data/Ed/Coloring/water_safety.pdf
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_safety/safety/boatwater/coloringbook.pdf
http://www.first-school.ws/t/watersafetytips.htm
http://www.lbtbp.com/safety/pdf/water_safety.pdf
http://www.healthyschoolsms.org/health_education/safetyresources.htm
http://www.srpnet.com/safety/water.aspx
http://www.iowadnr.gov/law/boating/files/watersafety.pdf

working mother said...

Thanks for these cute books. But, I am more concerned about training parents and caregivers about water safety. My former au pair used to leave the toilet seat up and the cleaning lady buckets with cleaning solution around my toddler! Never allow children near water with someone who can't swim.

Did this family who lost their nanny and child have fences up and pool gaurds and pool alarms. Why would you hire a woman who can't swim when you have a pool?