Sidney was afraid of the water and couldn't admit it. At swim lessons with his classmates they worked out a plan so he could feel comfortable in the water. The storyline was good, the illustrations were "common". I didn't like the part where Sidney lied and hid from his teachers, and I didnt care for the choice of wording (Mr. Paul was angry.....) for a classroom the wording would need to be changed. I would use this book as a read-aloud (with edits) to open discussion for problem solving techniques, teamwork, trying new things, etc.... Grades >1 ( )