Book Review| Jabari Jumps

Looking for a great summer book for kids?

The book Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall is a perfect fit for summer, even if you won’t be making it to the pool.

While our children are less likely to make their way to the diving board this summer (gee, thanks Covid-19), summer is still a time of trying new things, which is what this whole book is about.

What is the story?

Jabari Jumps is about a little boy named Jabari who is determined to jump from the diving board when his dad takes him to the pool. But even though he is excited, he finds himself procrastinating. His dad gives him a pep talk, and eventually Jabari is ready to try.

How are the illustrations?

I love the way this book is illustrated. At first glance it just looks like your standard children’s book illustration, but if you look closer, th3ese illustrations are mixed media.

There are parts of the background, as well as several buildings that are collaged out of typed pages, just barely visible and subtle. Some of the illustration appears to be digital while other parts look to be pasted over, with paint splashes added to represent water spray. There is a definite non-traditional flare to the book and it makes a very artful addition to a picture book library.

Why do I like it?

This is a book about being afraid and doing it anyway, but it isn’t a book about being afraid of the water.

My son loves swimming, and while I’ve had some luck finding swimming books for his age, they are usually about the fear of swimming or how to be safe around water. Most swimming books are intended as a way to coax kids into the water, and not intended to represent kids who already love the water.

I thought this book would be yet another book about the fear of water. It is in some ways but, overall, it isn’t . The thing is, Jabari Loves swimming. He loves the water. He isn’t afraid of the water. He’s afraid of the leap, of trying something new.

I was surprised to see a character that loved the water and wanted to be in it. His hesitation was less about swimming and more about the height. The book depicted very well the hesitation that can suddenly come on, even when you are determined to do something and really want to do it.

This makes this more than a swimming book. It’s a book about trying, even if you are unsure. It’s about coming to terms with your own anxieties and trying something out of your comfort zone.

Overall, I would recommend Jabari Jumps for story times at home and in the class room. It’s a book with diverse characters and creative artwork, and it tells the story of a very relatable little boy trying something new.

Will kids like it?

My son immediately began making plans for us to go to a pool with a diving board and I quote : “We will go there to the big pool that is the big deep big pool and there will be a board and ladder and I’ll climb, climb, climb (mimes climbing), and I’ll plug my nose like this (plugs nose and blows out cheeks) and I’ll jump (jumps) and there will be a HUGE splash (makes big splash sound while waving hands). And that will be so cool! Let’s do that!”

So, I think he liked it.

What do you think?

Have you read Jabari Jumps?

What other books about trying new things are your favorites?