Leap!

August 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-A flea sets off a chain reaction in this circular story poem that sees, by turns, a grasshopper, bunny, dog, fish, frog, and horse all take a startled "LEAP!" amid their respective areas of a sun-dappled farm. Lawson's sprightly rhyming text scans easily, and the rhythms of each stanza make it ideal for reading aloud: "trudgening lightly, /croaking and nervous, /over the top of the/ rippling surface-/webbed feet flatten, /cheeks re-fatten, /legs stretch long to/LEAP!" Bisaillon's mixed-media artwork showcases the defining attributes of each creature; elegant lines define the grasshopper's lithe form, a softly textured paper is used for the white bunny, and rich and layered shades of green and brown show off the frog's regal shape. After much commotion, things come full circle from the initial "leap" when the flea finds the dog and both "hunker down to/sleep." VERDICT A playful story with lyrical text and charming illustrations that will work beautifully as a read-aloud and could easily be adapted into a rollicking readers theater production.-Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 15, 2017
Creatures great and small spring into action on a sunny day.With a determined cadence and a graphic bang, Lawson and Bisaillon wed their talents in presenting a sumptuous snapshot of nature on the go. Lawson's animated poem starts small with an irritated flea's decision to "LEAP!" that then leads to other creatures making similar jumps in a great crescendo of movement that climaxes when a horse leaps a fence before things return full circle to the flea at rest. Motivated by the irresistible impulse to move, the flea hops "into the path / of a little grasshopper," who then lands on a bunny, who "bounds out / as the clouds roll in," inspiring a dog to jump into a lake and scare the fish "wide awake," as they "break the surface with a / flip, flop, shake" and "knock off a bullfrog's / lily-pad crown" as he springs and lands right "next to the nose / of a high-strung horse," who rears back from taking a drink of lake water, and...one gets the idea. Bisaillon's vibrant, watercolor-inspired mixed-media illustrations capture the fullness of the domino effect of Lawson's action-packed lyric, vibrantly showcasing the interconnectedness of flora, fauna, sun, and sky. Like a ball rolling downhill, the combined momentum of verse and page turn should impel pre-readers to leap and then sleep--but not before demanding that those reading to them repeat: not to be missed. (Picture book. 3-7)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 24, 2017
In appropriately propulsive verse, Lawson (Sidewalk Flowers) creates a chain of leaping animals, starting with a flea that awakens from a nap “in the deep green moss.” The flea lands in the path of a grasshopper, who jumps onto a rabbit, whose startled leap sets off a dog: “The bunny bounds out as the clouds roll in./ A dog gets a whiff and barks at the wind—/ bouncing, bouncing, springing and lunging!/ Down the bank that dog goes plunging.” Lawson times each leap to a page turn—his blithe verse almost demands to be read faster and faster with each progressive jump—creating a crescendo of energy that eventually abates as the dog and flea nestle down in the moss, not to leap but to do something that rhymes with it. Bisaillon (Mom, Dad, Our Books, and Me) uses digitally collaged elements, watery bursts of bright color, and a slightly jittery line to create a radiant summery landscape for Lawson’s bounding cast, which also includes a fish, frog, and horse. Expect children to show off their own joyful jumps after hearing this one. Ages 3–7. Illustrator’s agency: Morgan Gaynin.