The fast lane by Pip Harry and Katrin Dreiling

Daisy is fast, the latest swimmer in the district. She even beat Marvin Marlin and Sally Swordfish for the championship.

When she swims, it is always in the fast lane at the pool and she does 100 laps each time. But one day, Frank appears. He drops into the fast lane, annoying Daisy and her laps. She tells him that perhaps he needs to be in a slower lane, but he demurs. He keeps swimming until he runs out of puff, and she again suggests the slow lane. Again he says there is room enough room for two, and off he swims. But when he interrupts Daisy again, his long legs interfering with her butterfly sprint, she takes action, elbowing him into the lane ropes.

He keeps turning up in the fast lane however, reading the paper, listening to his mobile, until Daisy leaps from the pool thinking about what to do.

She looks over at the park and there is Frank with some friends having a picnic.

She is still cross, not wanting to share the fast lane, and walking towards Frank, falls into the pond. Her dark mood is lessened as Frank offers her a piece of chocolate cake.

He asks her to join the picnic and apologises for hanging out in the fast lane. Even though he is a frog, he cannot swim as well as he should.  Frank and Daisy are now able to work together in the pool and still achieve Daisy’s aim.

Delightful illustrations support the text, with humour and lots of colour. Readers will find lots to seek out on the detailed pages and laugh out loud at the animals in their guises. I love the flamingos doing aquarobics, and the image of Frank in a John Travolta pose, just two of the very funny and apt illustrations in The Fast Lane.

Themes: Swimming, Sharing, Humour, Friendship.

Fran Knight