Jump for Joy

Ruelle packs in an impressive amount of clever wordplay in a relatively spare text. 

A sweetly told friendship story set against the changing seasons.

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.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

★ The parallel yearnings of two strangers—a girl and a dog—carry readers through Jump for Joy, beautifully conceived...and awe-strikingly illustrated...From the get-go, readers will know where Jump for Joy is headed—and that's the point: as with any love story (and that's what this book is), the pleasure resides in the thrill of the chase. Here, the thrill also resides in Hooper's outdoors-set collages, which incorporate found imagery dating as far back as the 18th century. —Shelf Awareness, starred review

★ The book utilizes white space and stark black-and-white illustrations to evoke Jump and Joy's loneliness; the characters are in a different illustration style, further emphasizing their isolation. Only when the pair find each other do their worlds fill with color. —Foreword Reviews, starred review

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."—Kirkus Reviews

Ruelle's simple story uses repetition and alliteration to good effect. Hooper colors the child and dog in soft, warm browns using brush and ink. The delicate background collages are primarily black and white until the characters meet, and then everything transforms into color. —The Horn Book