Jump!

February 22, 2010
Comic strip animals with googly eyes populate Fischer's (Twinkle
) verse sequence, which has the kinetic energy of a jump-rope rhyme. “Well, I'm a bug. I'm a bug./ I'm a snug little bug,/ and I'm sleeping on a jug./ Until I see a frog, and I... JUMP!” The frog's tongue lashes across the spread, while the purple and red ladybug makes a run for it. Next it's the frog's turn; its slumber is startled by a Disneyesque Persian cat, who is in turn disturbed by a hound dog, and so on. Fischer's action sequences recall the Sunday funnies, and the unvarnished paper accentuates the feeling. With each iteration, his watercolors feel brasher and more playful (a shark looks like he's more interested in wrassling with a croc than devouring it). By the time Fischer gets to a whale, the double-page spread flips from landscape to portrait as the animals are blasted into the air with a “sploosh!” from the whale's blowhole. Read-aloud takes no more than a couple of minutes, but it's a rousing couple of minutes. Ages 2–6.

February 1, 2010
PreS-KShort rhythmic verses sing the fate of small animals that sit or snooze quietly until increasingly larger animals come along, forcing them off the page. "Well, /I'm a bug./I'm a bug./I'm a snug little bug, / and I'm sleeping on a jug./Until I see a frog, /and I]/JUMP!" A bug jumps from a frog that jumps from a cat that jumps from a hound, and so on until the whale ends the tale with a big "sploosh!" The simple, predictable text, based on a song, encourages children to hear the multiple rhyming words and to "JUMP!" at the repetitive finish. Preschoolers will love the fun and be unaware that they're developing phonological awareness and narrative ability, necessary pre-literacy skills. Bright, clear watercolor artwork takes full advantage of the white background. The cartoon-style pictures follow each verse's calm beginning to its final burst of action where the illustrations explode with the fleeing and chasing animals. These large spreads and the participatory nature of the text make this an excellent choice for storytimes."Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2010
Preschool-K With a simple, rhyming text and action-packed artwork, this picture book will appeal to young preschoolers, who will delight in the surprise turnaround on every double-page spread. Well, Im a bug. Im a bug. Im a snug little bug, and Im sleeping on a jug. Until I see a frog, and I . . . JUMP! says a fat-bellied bug, who flies off just in time to escape a leaping frog. Then its the frogs turn to narrate: Im a frog in a bog, and Im sleeping like a log, until I see a cat, and I . . . JUMP! The story follows a similar pattern as the cat jumps from a hound, the hound from a croc, and so on until the final scene with a whale, who decides to end the tale. Even after kids have figured out what is coming, they will enjoy the animals shifts in power roles, all depicted in lively drawings, rendered in thick black lines and strong, bright colors against blank white space.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)