Finn the Floaty

When a gust of wind sweeps inflatable pool toy Finn out to sea, he's in for an ocean of trouble in this summertime picture book adventure from acclaimed author-illustrator Leanne Hatch.

Unlike most orcas, Finn swims in a heated pool and is as light as air. His life as a floating pool toy can be fun in the sun--after all, summer is the best!--but it can also be noisy and exhausting. He's jumped on! Kicked! Splashed! Sometimes he wonders what's on the other side of the backyard fence... and when a gust of wind comes along, blowing him up in the air, it's time for HIS summer adventure.

Finn soars as high as an airplane, swims with his new orca friends in the strange new pool we call the ocean, and gets mixed up with some carnival balloons. Then another gust of wind blows him into a tree and POP he loses his air. Luckily, the family that finds him recognizes him and is able to patch him up and take him back where he belongs--home.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Author: Leanne Hatch
Publisher: Holiday House
Published: 05/12/2026
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.25h x 10.52w x 0.42d
ISBN: 9780823459568
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2026
Publishers Weekly 03/23/2026
School Library Journal 04/17/2026 pg. 1
Booklist 05/01/2026

About the Author
Leanne Hatch is the author and illustrator of Unraveled, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and The Brand-New, Never-Used Perfect Crayons, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year. Her illustration portfolios have won an SCBWI Portfolio Showcase Award Grand Prize and two Honors. She was also the winner of the SCBWI Narrative Art Award and 1st Place Portfolio Award at the SCBWI Western Washington Conference. Leanne lives in Kirkland, Washington. Visit her at leannehatch.com and on Instagram.