Swap!

Reviewed by: Michelle Brenner - Casco Public Library, Casco, Choose Library District

Review Date: September 20, 2016

Review

Swap! by Steve Light is an appealing tale about bartering to obtain the items needed to fix up a broken-down sailing vessel. A button is traded for teacups which are soon traded for rope and then some of that is traded for oars, and the swapping continues until everything needed is obtained. The idea to swap comes to the child character in the story who wants to help the captain, "his sad friend", so the hero will surely appeal to young readers and listeners. The child has a pirate-like peg leg which I felt was a bit sad at first, but upon reflection realized that it may make the character relatable to children with a physical limitation and it in no way affects the child's ability to negotiate trades and navigate a row boat from island to island in search of all the needed supplies. The charming and intricate pen-and-ink illustrations have punches of brilliant color and deftly show the process of trading items to people who need them to get something that the sea captain and his pint-sized friend need. The story offers lots of opportunity to talk about how all things used to be hand made as the pictures show oars being carved from trees, anchors being hammered by a blacksmith, and sails being sewn by hand. It is a perfect read aloud with limited text on white space and a repetitive mantra of "SWAP!", making it a fun read for early readers as well. It will surely appeal to preschool teachers and all the pirate-lovers out there!

Overall Book Score: excellent