Book Review: Jump! by Julia Dweck

Jump!

By Julia Dweck

Publisher: Sleepy Sheep Productions

Published: Sept. 1, 2014

ASIN: B00N975GGO

Amazon Synopsis:

Jack’s little heart began to thump, 
As he prepared to take a jump. 
He swung around and then he flexed. 
His thousandth jump was coming next. 

Then tightening his coils, he sank, 
And listened to the music crank. 
He sprung out free, no longer trapped. 
His rusty spring broke loose and SNAPPED! 

What’s a Jack-in-the-box without his home? Poor Jack has never jumped out of anything before, but his worn out box. Can Barker, the neighborhood dog, prove to Jack that there are many more exciting jumps outside in the great, big world? Young readers will find lots of giggles in the rhyming text and wondrous jumps that Barker and Jack discover together. The full screen art by illustrator, Brian 

Allen, positively leaps off the page. The author, Julia Dweck, has done a wonderful job of weaving in the subtle message that it’s important to believe in yourself and to think outside of the box in order to realize life’s wondrous possibilities. This bouncy tale from Sleepy Sheep Productions will leave young readers jumping for joy! Leveled for young readers ages 4 – 8, but relevant to readers of all ages. 

Book Links

Amazon  *  Goodreads

My Thoughts:

This delightful book may be leveled ffor readers ages 4 to 8 years of age, but it has  lessons for readers of all ages. What are those lessons? Try something new, you never know what you’ll discover. Have confidence in yourself. You don’t know what you can accomplish if you don’t try. Think outside the box. You don’t have to be the same as everyone else. It’s okay to be unique. Be innovative. Be inventive. Be creative.

When Jack jumped his 1000^th jump, his spring broke and he jumped right out of his box. He thought he was broken and useless. But Barker showed him something delightful. There were many more ways to jump. The wonderful pictures will delight children as they jump through the pages with these two friends and count the number of ways there are to jump. Then they can come up with more ways to jump on their own (bunny hop, hop on one foot, hop backwards etc). Jump! Is great for sparking a child’s imagination.

The rhyming text is delightful, fun to read and fun to listen to. The rhythm is not contrived and flows easily. The illustrations are bright and cheerful. They definitely add to the story with their simplicity and clarity.

I think Jump! would be a good addition to any after-school care, classroom or home library to encourage self-esteem, imagination and confidence. I gave this book 5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the author for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

About the Author:

Julia writes children’s stories for digital and traditional publication. Her stories span the spectrum of humor, fantasy, and edutainment in rhyme and in prose. Julia’s background in elementary education affords her the opportunity to be in touch with what children want to read about and what makes them giggle. Julia collaborates with some of the leading artists in the world of children’s literature. Julia is also a designer of educational adjuncts for children’s literature, and has worked with such notable publishing houses as Penguin Young Readers.

Author Links

Twitter  *  Goodreads