Jump for Joy

by Karen Gray Ruelle, Hadley Hooper (Illustrator)

Overview

Kid seeks dog. Dog seeks kid. In this charming and imaginative tale of friendship, picture book readers will delight in what it means to have a furry best friend.

For as long as she can remember, Joy has wanted a dog. It doesn’t matter what kind: big, little, spotted, curly. She wants one so fiercely, she makes dogs out of snow, seashells, or whatever’s at hand! However, none of the dogs Joy makes are quite what she yearns for. The seashell dog washes away, and the snow dog melts into a puddle. Little does Joy know that her perfect dog friend is just around the corner—wishing just as fiercely for a kid—and waiting to be discovered.

Award-winning artist Hadley Hooper creates a world that is both timeless and magical as she weaves ink, paint, and collages made from vintage etchings together in a style that perfectly complements the classic feel of Jump for Joy. Readers will rejoice in this satisfying kid-meets-dog story, and will savor returning to this world again and again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781662602023
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	01/23/2024
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	441,085
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD430L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Originally from Maryland, Karen Gray Ruelle is a children’s book author and illustrator currently based in New York. Her numerous books include The Grand Mosque of Paris, co-created with Deborah Durland Desaix, which was an ALSC Notable Book and an Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Title, as well as The Crunchy, Munchy Christmas Tree and April Fool!

Hadley Hooper is an illustrator and painter whose work has been featured in The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times, where she was a weekly contributor to the Style section. She has illustrated several children’s books, including The Elephants Come Home and The Iridescence of Birds. Visit hadleyhooper.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/16/2023

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.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "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

"Hadley Hooper? You’ve been holding out on us, girl. Seriously, this is a little masterpiece that catches the average reader by surprise. It’s a wonderful example of a story that’s been done a hundred times but now hits you in a whole new way thanks in large part to both the effervescent writing on Ruelle’s part, and Hooper’s joyous free-for-all in the art. In this book, Hooper helps tell the story of a girl who wants a dog and a dog that wants a girl by mixing collaged art from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries alongside vibrant paints. The black and white images aren’t there by chance either. Until Joy (the girl) finds Jump (the dog) and vice versa, their efforts to 'make' friends of their own out of these images feels colorless. Even if you aren’t a dog person, you’re going to really enjoy this."—Betsy Bird, A Fuse 8 Production blog

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

"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...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." —Publishers Weekly

"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. A sweetly told friendship story set against the changing seasons." —The Horn Book

"With almost lyrical cadence, Ruelle spins a delightful tale about a girl named Joy and a dog named Jump...Hooper’s clever illustrations are mostly black and white until the end when full-color scenes explosively complement the words: “Joy jumped for joy and Jump jumped for Joy. A simple yet touching story about finding our forever friends. The wordplay makes this a fun book to read to children." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

03/29/2024

PreS-Gr 1—With almost lyrical cadence, Ruelle spins a delightful tale about a girl named Joy and a dog named Jump. The story features the perspective of both characters yearning to find their forever companion. Joy has always wanted a dog, any kind of dog. Jump has always wanted a kid, any kid. Every time Joy attempts to create a dog using whatever material is available—flowers, seashells, sticks, sand, mud, and snow—it crumbles. The same goes for Jump each time he tries to make his own child. While visiting the flowers and ferns the following spring, the two lost souls notice one another. Hooper's clever illustrations are mostly black and white until the end when full-color scenes explosively complement the words: "Joy jumped for joy and Jump jumped for Joy." VERDICT A simple yet touching story about finding our forever friends. The wordplay makes this a fun book to read to children.—Jane Huh

School Library Journal

2023-10-07
A girl and a dog lead parallel lives, until they meet.

Joy, a pigtailed youngster in a polka-dotted dress, longs for a dog. “A big dog. A little dog. A spotted dog. A curly dog. It didn’t matter.” But she’s willing to wait. As the omniscient narrator tells readers, “She’d know her dog when she saw him.” Jump, a playful pup, also has a wish. He longs for a kid: “a big kid. A little kid. A spotted kid. A curly kid. It didn’t matter.” But he’s patient. “He’d know his kid when he saw her.” In the spring, Joy carefully crafts a dog out of flowers. She names him Tulip. Alas, the flowers wilt. Jump carefully crafts a kid out of plants. He names her Fern. But the ferns also wilt. Each season, Joy and Jump create a friend out of natural materials to manifest their destiny. Then, the following spring, Joy and Jump finally meet—and both jump for joy. Ruelle packs in an impressive amount of clever wordplay in a relatively spare text. 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. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews