"Little skills taught young don't just stick, they stack"

Puddle Jumpers describes a well thought out, tested method for raising children that know how to achieve success (and how to decide what success looks like for themselves). It does not do this book justice to examine it without first taking a look at the human who wrote it. Brandon Webb is a writer, entrepreneur, and former Navy Seal Sniper instructor. His resume lends easy to see credibility to his thoughts on leadership, life management, and handling the unexpected.

This book describes everything from the kind of people you choose to bring around your kids, to talks about difficult topics such as drugs and pornography, to helping your children set goals and have the grit to overcome adversity on their own.

Each chapter contains examples from Brandon Webb's real life as a Dad. In the audiobook, Webb has invited his children to come on and speak to their experiences growing up from their own words. It is touching as well as helpful to hear this perspective that is often skipped in parenting books. When his children speak, you can hear how much they love and appreciate their Father and their family. This personal inclusion really allows the reader a look into the actual results of the 'Puddle Jumper' method.

People that are coparenting after a divorce may find this book particularly helpful, as Webb discusses throughout the book how him and his ex dealt with things from a coparenting standpoint. There is also a discussion between the two of them at the end of the book, in which each highlights the essential rules they held to be successful coparents.

If you have a heart for parenting that fosters respect between your child and yourself, but have struggled with seeing how to make it happen without sometimes slipping into 'permissive' parenting, this book is for you. There is example after example of how to handle what are often difficult situations.

Puddle Jumpers even includes insight into helping your children manage as they transition to college and how to set your self up for relationship success even after they are fully grown and making all of their own decisions.


As a mother of three young boys, I found much of this book applies to issues I currently am dealing with, or foresee coming up in our near future. It is nice to know that I have this tool in my toolbox to help me react from a well planned place, rather than a reactive one.
I plan to keep a copy of this book handy as my children grow—there is wisdom distilled on its pages.

Disclaimer: Puddle Jumpers is written by a former Navy Seal, so the language used (albeit sparingly) throughout the book is unsurprising. Heads up!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Puddle Jumpers. Brandon Webb offers a down to earth, often humorous approach to parenting that feels more like a conversation than a lecture. The inclusion of excerpts from his now-grown children added a layer of credibility and heart that is often missing from parenting books.
​As a parent of younger children, some examples weren’t immediately applicable, but they provided a valuable 'road map' for challenges we haven't hit yet. I found myself bookmarking several sections to revisit with my husband. The checklists at the end of each chapter are a standout feature, perfect for busy parents who need actionable takeaways. The audiobook experience was top-notch but I will be buying a physical copy upon release to better utilize those end of chapter features. Webb’s storytelling is engaging and reflective. Highly recommend for parents at any stage!
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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that this book would be a great parenting to book to read alongside my husband who is in the military. The viewpoint of parenting from a former navy SEAL is something that has aligned values we share as a family.

From the description, I thought I would really resonate with the topics discussed and I really did! This book was different from other parenting books that I read because it is almost reminiscent of a memoir, coupled with an example-based parenting book. I listened to this book on audio and really enjoyed the layout of the topic, description, personal experiences, and then the reflection from the author's adult children about said experiences. I was truly impacted at the experiences and scenarios had my crying at the emotional maturity Webb's children employed in their lives. This book reinforces the tactics that my spouse and I are trying to engage and cultivate to make resilient, strong, and compassionate children.

I do feel like this book is great for parenting at ages 5/6- young teens, but still found applications to parenting in toddlerhood. There are overarching "lessons" that apply to all stages of parenting. Let them be messy; Let them fail, but give them the resolve to be able to handle failure; follow through.
I really enjoyed this book! Great work Webb!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Audio for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and AE Titles/ S&S Audio for an ARC of this book!

This book really resonated with me! I have a few things in common with the author and his family, and really appreciated his perspective with the situations that were thrown at him during his parenthood journey. The major fear of allowing your kids to grow with the tension of keeping them safe and not projecting your anxiety onto them is a hard thing to accomplish. I appreciated Brandon’s outlook on what worked for him as he raised his 3 children. As we raise kids, our main focus needs to be preparing them for adulthood and fostering a healthy environment for them to thrive. His military experience really adds a layer of value to raising resilient kids in a world where there are many snow plow parents. My husband has always instilled a “be comfortable with being uncomfortable” attitude in our kids and I see so much value in that as the years have flown by.

So… I was incredibly dubious about a parenting book written by an ex navy sniper and despite what is said on the cover I was worried that it would be authoritarian… I can say I was completely wrong and that I really liked this book for its compassionate parenting advice. The techniques taught here focus on a kind and constructive style that allows your child to grow into themselves rather than being forced into a parents mould. I thought it was so good I got my husband to read it too as I thought he might connect better with the author than the other books we have read. I was correct, he found it really useful and started adopting some of the techniques straight away. I listened to it as an audiobook but I will buy a copy of the book to use for reference in the future and would definitely recommend it to friends.

I liked that the narration was done by the author and he also asked his kids to come in and offer some perspective in their own voices.

I really enjoyed this one. Even though my kiddos are still younger, the author did a fantastic job of pointing out simple and practical ways of raising kiddos that are resilient, willing to learn from their mistakes, and own up to things they may have done wrong. You can tell that he was doing something correctly, because throughout the book he has his own grown children reflect on some of the strategies and techniques that he used while raising them. Definitely lots of things I will be keeping in my back pocket for when my girls hit the teenage years.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, the narrator, AE Titles, and S&S Audio for the advance copy of this title.

Puddle Jumpers is a valuable tool for parents looking to build resilient, confident, and joyful children. It’s an engaging read that provides a solid framework for raising independent thinkers, and I highly recommend it for parents at any stage.

Any parenting books that are encouraging and provide great ideas are beneficial. Everyone has their own styles and things that work; we all have things we would like to work on. I appreciate how the narrator references his highs and lows of raising 3 kids. He compares it to the military life and skills he learned there--that part of the book was interesting too! I also loved how his kids chimed in throughout the book to talk about their side of the same story and provide insights on how my own kids may feel in certain situations as they get older. Great listen--gathered some things I will use in my own parenting journey.