This story reads like a long early reader. The plot is extremely quick and there really isn’t much depth. The illustrations were very complimentary to the characters and what little action there was.

Read from a Netgalley copy.

On the surface, this book is about a girl and her dog. Dig a little deeper, and I think we have a book about a little girl who loves to follow the rules. Sam can see that her beloved dog and best friend, Benny, wants to swim in the lake more than anything. Before he can do that, Benny MUST pass his swimming lessons. Why? Because Sam had to. Those are the rules. This is a charming little book that teaches the importance of following the rules and also doing whatever you can to help your best friend fulfill their dreams.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Clavis Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so cute! Sam has taken swimming lessons and passed the test and now thinks her dog Benny needs to take them as well before he can swim in the lake by the house; Sam just wants Benny to be safe. This book is just a really fun read, loved it.

#BennyLearnstoSwim #NetGalley

This sweet and funny story is about Benny and Sam, a hot day and swimming.  Benny is the pup who wants to swim while responsible Sam feels that Benny needs to take lessons before jumping into the pond. What will happen?  Young listeners will enjoy finding out and, as a bonus, will see that swimming can be fun!


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.


#BennyLearnstoSwim #NetGalley

This is a sweet story about a girl wanting to teach her dog to swim by doing swim lessons at her pool. The story is simple and a bit silly, which was making my son and I laugh. The irritated swim instructor was kind as he corrected the girl, which was a nice model of adult guidance.

The illustrations are cute, and the story is fun to follow along with. Overall, an enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for the advance copy of Benny Learns to Swim by Judith Koppens in exchange for an honest review.

A charming book that's perfect for little ones! My son loved this story about a boy and his dog, and it got him so excited to talk about going swimming himself this summer. The illustrations are delightful, and it's just the right length for the attention span of a wiggly toddler.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute book about a little girl who wants her do to learn how to swim. She takes the dog for lessons and can't understand why he isn't included. It's a short little story with fun pictures. I enjoyed it.

Benny Learns to Swim is an adorable story that is sure to make your children laugh. The illustrations are beautiful, bright and inviting. As an adult, I enjoyed this friendship tale and I'm certain young kids will too.

As a speech-language pathologist, I look for ways picture books could be used to work on the speech/language goals of my students. Many pool/swimming supplies are shown in the pictures fostering expanding vocabulary by discussing the function of the items. This story could also be used to compare and contrast the pool and the little lake in the woods. Comparing and contrasting of dog swimmers vs. children swimmers could also be targeted along with a variety of wh- questions. Benny Learns to Swim could also be used to target articulation skills of the /s/ sound with frequent use of the character's name Sam and the word swim.

Cute, humorous book about teaching a dog to swim with sweet illustrations. Very entertaining, quick read perfect for young readers, age 3-5.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

Very adorable illustrations accompanied by a short story about Benny, who wants to learn to swim. As a swim instructor, with a dog named Benny, this caught by eye! It does seem like a missed opportunity to address some basic water safety, including wearing life jackets when around open water (for dogs too!). Dogs tire just as easily as humans and can also be subject to drowning, and the more that we emphasize water safety, the better.

This is very cute, more than Benny learning to swim, its a lesson for Sam abut her friends capabilities. It is fun to watch herdrawing the dashes on the t and dotting her i's in getting her pet ready for swim lesson.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is really cute and made myself and my daughter giggle afew times at the humour in it. We enjoyed it so much we read it twice.
This is a great book for teaching a child about water safety and to encourage reluctant swimmers.

Description from NetGalley and Clavis Publishing...
“It’s hot outside. Sam and Benny would really like to cool off in the lake. But first Benny has to take swimming lessons and pass his test. And that’s not easy for a dog . . .

A funny and an endearing story about the friendship between a girl and her dog, and about how much fun it is to swim. For animal lovers and little swimmers ages 4 and up.”

Thank you to @NetGalley, @clavispublishing for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
This was originally published as “Sam en Bennie en het zwemdiploma” in Belgium and Holland. Translated from Dutch to English. A story about a girl, who thought her dog needed swimming lessons before he could swim in the lake, because that’s what she had to do. It’s a sweet book that can help parents talk to their kids about swimming and to teach them “safety first.” I really like the style of drawing in this book. It’s such a lovable story of friendship, with the theme of swimming safety.

This was a really cute story about a girl who feels as if her dog needs swimming lessons before being allowed to play in the lake. I really liked pacing and the illustration style. I also liked how it taught a lesson about learning the proper safety precautions before diving into a situation!

This didn't really work for me. A child takes her dog for a walk, but refuses to let it swim in the lake in the woods before it's been taken to the pool and got a swimming certificate. Funnily enough, the pool staff don't want the dog at their lessons. Now part of the book that results could have been a reassuring look at going to swimming class for the very young, but the book does nothing but prevent the lesson from happening, and thus bails from that motive. It all seems to hinge on the "joke" of the child deluded enough about dogs to think they need instruction, which again is mightily flawed – for one, it's not funny, and for another, the child spends so much time getting the mutt dressed for the pool while herself wearing outdoors T-shirt and shorts, and nothing at all similar to what the other kids are wearing. All it seems to have, then, is an almost anecdotal whimsy of a child not realising her dog can have fun in the water, the end. It looks fine, but it really could have been better.

Cute and very funny. I like the drawing and the story it tells. I would love to read more story from this author!