Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Expound Publicity to bring you this post.

Have you ever seen a swan? They are so elegant and beautiful. We have some that swim at the reservoir near our home. I always love seeing them. Today we are sharing a beautiful picture book about a young girl who loves the swans near her home. She feeds them and they respect her. She has to defend them when there is a bully. The book is Sophie and the Swans by Holly Peppe and illustrated by Aeron Cargill.

About the Book:

Sophie and the Swans Written by Holly Peppe & Illustrated by Aeron Cargill

Ages: 3+ | 36 Pages | Publisher: Lincoln Square Books | ISBN: 978-1947187146

Publisher’s Book Summary: Sophie is a little girl who lives beside a lake and makes friends with a pair of swans who visit her every day. One day, when a bully starts to torment the swans, Sophie rushes to defend them not by attacking the bully but by showing him kindness when he gets into trouble on the lake.

Purchase Links:

About the Author:

Holly Peppe is a writer and editor who lives near a lake full of colorful ducks, noisy gray geese, and elegant white swans who take to the sky when they feel like flying. Her published writing includes essays about the Jazz Age poet Edna St. Vincent Millay; a memoir, Mum’s the Word: The High-flying Adventures of Eve Branson; and two Young Adult books about Barrington Irving, the first Black pilot and youngest person to fly solo around the world.

From Me:

This story is so sweet. Sophie is lucky to live on a lake that has two beautiful swans on it. She feeds them and talks to them every day. She loves watching them and has named them Romeo and Juliette. One day a new boy comes to the lake and throws rocks at the swans. Sophie hears Romeo making a ruckus and goes out to see what is going on. She manages to get the bully to stop throwing rocks at them. A few days later another new boy is at the lake edge. She invites him to feed the swans with her and they talk about the swans, the bully who is the boy's brother, and more. Then they see the bully in a boat struggling. He yells that the boat doesn't have gas and it is obvious he is really in trouble. Sophie suggests they take the canoe out to help him. The kind brother is in shock that she would want to help the bully but agrees to join her. The bully is really scared and cold, so he is happy to have help. Sophie helps the bully and teaches him to respect nature and see how cool the swans actually are.

I love that this story has many facets in it. There is the respect for nature and Sophie's love for the swans. She teaches both brothers how to care for and about the swans. She reminds the bully that the swans live on the water and that there were swans on the water before the houses were built around it. Then there is the aspect of bullying. Sophie faces the bully and follows her mother's advice to treat everyone with kindness even when they are not kind to her. This really seems to work in this situation. It is a nice lesson to teach. I can definitely see this book being a favorite of an animal lover. It is also a great book for story time to introduce birds, water birds or swans. It also would be great to introduce the fact that wildlife was in our world living where our buildings are before the buildings were there. It is such an important lesson to learn and remember. The book is full of beautiful illustrations and the story itself is wonderful. I hope you will check it out.

Swan Craft Round-Up:

The obvious activity to go with this book is a swan craft. I have a round-up of different ones. There is also this fun one from 123 Paper Crafts on YouTube, this fun loop paper swan shared by Paper Craft Ideas and these cute pinecone swan ornaments over at Handmade Charlotte. There is also an easy tutorial to draw a swan with a coloring page over at Art Projects for Kids. Here are some more swan crafts to check out from some of my fellow bloggers.