Jump for Joy

October 16, 2023
Tightly structured storytelling by Ruelle (Peter’s War) and crisp, editorial-style artwork by Hooper (The Elephants Come Home) frame this story about Joy, a girl, and Jump, a dog. Both figures search for companionship, inquiries that unfold in pleasing parallel. As Joy longs for a dog (“A big dog. A little dog. A spotted dog.... It didn’t matter”), Jump longs for a kid (“A big kid. A little kid. A spotted kid.... It didn’t matter”). Permission isn’t the problem; instead, the two haven’t yet found the right companions (“She’d know her dog when she saw him.... He’d know his kid when he saw her”). Each fills the void by building substitute friends—out of flowers and ferns in the spring, seashells and sand in the summer, sticks and mud in the fall, and snow in the winter—but natural forces destroy their constructions. The two are portrayed with antic energy in sepia, while their surroundings are rendered in b&w collages composed of antique etchings and illustrations. The story’s energy is focused on the search, with rich visual interest created by busy patterns and images. Ages 3–7.

November 1, 2023
A girl and a dog lead parallel lives, until they meet. Joy, a pigtailed youngster in a polka-dotted dress, longs for a dog. "A big dog. A little dog. A spotted dog. A curly dog. It didn't matter." But she's willing to wait. As the omniscient narrator tells readers, "She'd know her dog when she saw him." Jump, a playful pup, also has a wish. He longs for a kid: "a big kid. A little kid. A spotted kid. A curly kid. It didn't matter." But he's patient. "He'd know his kid when he saw her." In the spring, Joy carefully crafts a dog out of flowers. She names him Tulip. Alas, the flowers wilt. Jump carefully crafts a kid out of plants. He names her Fern. But the ferns also wilt. Each season, Joy and Jump create a friend out of natural materials to manifest their destiny. Then, the following spring, Joy and Jump finally meet--and both jump for joy. Ruelle packs in an impressive amount of clever wordplay in a relatively spare text. The repetitive rhythm of both Joy and Jump doing similar actions is reassuring, while Hooper's brilliant, mostly black-and-white collaged world highlights the sepia-toned friends as they navigate their way toward each other. Of course, when they finally cross paths, the world blooms into color. A wistful meditation on patience and discovery. (Picture book. 3-6)

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January 1, 2024
A girl named Joy has always wanted a dog. It doesn't matter what kind: "She'd know her dog when she saw him." Jump, a dog, has loved kids for as long as he can remember. Like Joy, "he'd know his kid when he saw her." As each longs for the other, they are shown on opposite sides of the spread, parallel but apart. Throughout the year, they form dogs and kids, respectively, out of each season's offerings -- e.g., in spring, Joy makes a dog from flowers and Jump makes a kid out of ferns, but both eventually wilt and fall to the ground. After a year passes, lush new flowers and ferns grow again. When Joy and Jump greet their flora aloud, they finally see each other. Ruelle's simple story uses repetition and alliteration to good effect. Hooper colors the child and dog in soft, warm beiges using brush and ink. The delicate background collages are primarily black and white until the characters meet, and then everything transforms into color. A sweetly told friendship story set against the changing seasons. Joan Yolleck

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 29, 2024

PreS-Gr 1-With almost lyrical cadence, Ruelle spins a delightful tale about a girl named Joy and a dog named Jump. The story features the perspective of both characters yearning to find their forever companion. Joy has always wanted a dog, any kind of dog. Jump has always wanted a kid, any kid. Every time Joy attempts to create a dog using whatever material is available-flowers, seashells, sticks, sand, mud, and snow-it crumbles. The same goes for Jump each time he tries to make his own child. While visiting the flowers and ferns the following spring, the two lost souls notice one another. Hooper's clever illustrations are mostly black and white until the end when full-color scenes explosively complement the words: "Joy jumped for joy and Jump jumped for Joy." VERDICT A simple yet touching story about finding our forever friends. The wordplay makes this a fun book to read to children.-Jane Huh

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
A girl named Joy has always wanted a dog. It doesn't matter what kind: "She'd know her dog when she saw him." Jump, a dog, has loved kids for as long as he can remember. Like Joy, "he'd know his kid when he saw her." As each longs for the other, they are shown on opposite sides of the spread, parallel but apart. Throughout the year, they form dogs and kids, respectively, out of each season's offerings -- e.g., in spring, Joy makes a dog from flowers and Jump makes a kid out of ferns, but both eventually wilt and fall to the ground. After a year passes, lush new flowers and ferns grow again. When Joy and Jump greet their flora aloud, they finally see each other. Ruelle's simple story uses repetition and alliteration to good effect. Hooper colors the child and dog in soft, warm beiges using brush and ink. The delicate background collages are primarily black and white until the characters meet, and then everything transforms into color. A sweetly told friendship story set against the changing seasons.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)