Jump for Joy

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. (Jan.)