Let's Go Swimming with Mr. Sillypants

A silly, whimsical book about dreaming and getting over one's fears by a celebrated American cartoonist and illustrator.

Mr. Sillypants is going to learn how to swim tomorrow. He’s excited! It’s about time.

But he starts to get nervous. “I hope I don’t step on a fish,” he worries. “What if all the other people in the class are better than I am?” he wonders as he opens the fridge to make his “perfect sandwich,” a double-decker creation complete with peanut butter, tuna, and pickles. By the time he goes to bed, Mr. Sillypants is not sure swimming lessons are such a good idea after all.

When Mr. Sillypants falls asleep, he dreams that he’s wandering through a desert, then down a long road, when suddenly he plummets into a big pond. “I can’t swim!” he yells. Soon, though, his worries about swimming are far from his mind: He morphs into a fish, flees from enormous pickle monsters, and eventually turns into a shark, giving him the strength he needs to fight back.

The next morning, Mr. Sillypants wakes with a smile. Maybe his swimming lessons are going to be okay after all.

Told with warm humor and illustrated with stunning watercolors, M. K. Brown has crafted a hilarious adventure out of an everyday fear. This silly-looking man can teach us all how ordinary it is to be scared—and how wonderful it can be when we finally face our fears.

M.K. Brown is an American cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and children’s author. A major presence during the heyday of National Lampoon, her cartoons have also appeared in many outlets, both mainstream and underground: from Wimmen’s Comix to The Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker. The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco featured a retrospective of her work in 2014-2015. Brown has also been involved with television projects, including a collaboration with comedians Bill Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray, and creating an animated series for the Tracey Ullman Show. Her children’s books include Let’s Go Camping with Mr. Sillypants and Sally’s Room, and collaborations with author Duncan Ball. She lives in Fairfax, California.