The Picture Book That’s Making a Splash This Summer
Serafina Makes Waves
Written by Matthew Burgess
Illustrated by Robin Rosenthal
Illustrations: Courtesy Dial Books
Ages 3-7
Review by Heidi Frankel
Summer is the perfect time to snuggle up with your grandchild and a great picture book. Whether you’re at the pool, the beach, or the backyard, with one grandchild or 10, this unique summer picture book is sure to delight, inspire, and maybe even teach a little something along the way. You and your grandchild will love every minute with Serafina Makes Waves — a water-hating cat who discovers the pool isn’t so scary after all. For books for grandchildren that earn laughs on every page, this one is the splash of the season.
Serafina hates, loathes, and DESPISES water. Rain? Inside. Bath? Absolutely not. The ocean? Don’t even think about it. So when the Powers That Be — also known as her parents — declare swim lessons mandatory, this cat is not having any of it. She uses her best eyelash-and-weepy-tears look; she hides and claws, deploying every ounce of feline drama she has. Nothing works.
That’s how Serafina finds herself standing at the edge of a pool filled with splashing alligators, tigers, giraffes, and other stylishly suited swimmers, plotting her escape as the other kids are having a grand ol’ time.
Then it happens. Noodles — her beloved stuffed rabbit — gets kicked into the pool! Serafina knows she has to act. She leaps into the water. Horrified. Flabbergasted. Gobsmacked. And all wet. It was a Cat-astrophe!
Matthew Burgess writes with delicious exaggeration and cleverly breaks the fourth wall, drawing young readers directly into Serafina’s outrage. Serafina’s expressions are priceless, her swimwear and accessories delightful, and the cheerful, beachy palette creates a comical contrast with her initial moodiness. Her eyebrows alone tell the whole story — cycling from contentment to pure disgust and back again, one poolside moment at a time. Matthew Burgess and Robin Rosenthal form a perfect creative partnership — the writing and illustrations amplify each other at every turn.
As a lover of children’s books, this is a picture-perfect book of 2026. Serafina Makes Waves is the best companion for hesitant swimmers. If this water-hating cat can jump in to save Noodles and discover she actually loves it, maybe the pool isn’t so scary after all.
You just read one of our favorite stories. There’s more where this came from — subscribe, and we’ll bring them to you every Tuesday.
