Day 159: Little By Little

We first heard about Little By Little in one of our monthly issues of Your Big Backyard.  I knew it was about a little otter learning to swim, so when this summer rolled around, I decided to track this book down at one of our local libraries.  I'll admit that the first few times I read it, I thought it was very cute, but nothing particularly special.  My son, however, really loves this book, and the more we read it together, the more I appreciate the way it resonates with him.  He finds it silly and fun, but most importantly, really seems to have taken its message to heart.  Otto can do lots of things -- forward roly-poly, make sandcastles, be kind to frogs -- but there is one big thing he can't do:  swim.  He dreams of the day when he will be able to jump off the Highest-Ever Rock into the Deepest-Ever Pond like his friends.  Seeing his disappointment, his sister encourages him to start small and take things one step at a time.  Little by little, Otto learns to swim... starting small and finishing big!  We have been working on teaching our kids to swim this summer, and the last time we were at the beach, my son kept talking about this book while he was practicing in the water.  He'd put his hands down on the sand in the shallow water and kick his feet behind him saying, "I'm learning to swim like Otto!"  Its message that big things can be accomplished by taking one small step at a time certainly makes this charming story worth reading to any child, particularly one who is learning to swim.  My little ones haven't mastered swimming just yet, but little by little, they know they'll get there!