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Jump for Joy
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 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.
For as long as she can remember, Joy has wanted a dog. It doesn’t matter what 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.
34 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 23, 2024
About the author
Karen Gray Ruelle
23 books16 followersI'm a professional writer and illustrator, with 21 children’s books published so far and several others in the works. I write for all ages, from toddlers to adults, and enjoy working on my own, as well as in collaboration with other authors and illustrators.
In terms of style, my illustrations tend to be more whimsical than realistic, and I've worked in watercolor, oils, pastels, pen and ink, and collage. Lately, I've been experimenting with layering colors in oils and using the resulting swatches to create collage. It makes me happy to work with so many gorgeous, rich colors.
My writing ranges from extensively researched, powerful non-fiction narrative to humorous fiction and poetry, with some folktales and other stories thrown in for fun. I write things that move me or make me laugh, and I hope that my readers will enjoy them.
In terms of style, my illustrations tend to be more whimsical than realistic, and I've worked in watercolor, oils, pastels, pen and ink, and collage. Lately, I've been experimenting with layering colors in oils and using the resulting swatches to create collage. It makes me happy to work with so many gorgeous, rich colors.
My writing ranges from extensively researched, powerful non-fiction narrative to humorous fiction and poetry, with some folktales and other stories thrown in for fun. I write things that move me or make me laugh, and I hope that my readers will enjoy them.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
April 6, 2024
Imagine that I walk around all the time with a faux group of students in my head. As I read through books for kids every day, I find myself coming up with rules about children’s literature. Rules that, if I’m going to be honest, were probably already thought up by someone else long before me. Still, once in a while I sit down and write these thoughts down for my faux students. I tell them stuff, like that a truly great picture book must do three things very well: It must have great art, which matches the writing (if there is any), and it must have great writing (unless it is wordless), and most important of all it must make you feel something. Now there are plenty of fun picture books out there that accomplish two out of these three things, and they’re great! But a book that manages to include all three together at once? That’s a rarity. That’s a once-in-a-blue-moon type of situation. That is, in fact, what you get with the Karen Gray Ruelle/Hadley Hooper picture book, Jump for Joy.
There is Joy. She’s a kid who wants a dog. And she firmly believes that, “She’d know her dog when she saw him.” Then there’s Jump. He’s in the same boat and also firmly believes that, “He’d know his kid when he saw her.” Until that happens, however, both Jump and Joy try constructing companions out of natural elements. Firs they both try growing things, like tulips or ferns. When those wilt and fall apart they try seashells and sand. Next it’s sticks and mud, and after that, snow. Though their homemade companions melt away, time after time, there’s a happy ending in this pair’s future, and a definite jump for joy on the horizon.
Karen Gray Ruelle’s been in this game a long time. In fact, when I was looking at this book I just kept chanting her name over and over in my head. I KNEW her name. So why couldn’t I mentally conjure up any of her books? It wasn’t until I traveled over to her website that all became clear. Of COURSE I know her name by heart! She wrote the board books, The Book of Breakfasts, The Book of Baths, and The Book of Bedtimes, all of which I read ad nauseum to my kids when they were so very small. On top of that, back when I was still working for New York Public Library, she was the voice behind the magnificent The Grand Mosque of Paris. Right! Karen Gray Ruelle! Here, she brings to life something I like to say all the time about picture books. It doesn’t matter if your idea has been done a million times before. Picture books about kids wanting dogs and/or dogs wanting kids? You can’t throw a dart in a children’s library without hitting one of these (note: please do not throw darts in children’s rooms). But if you’ve an author with the right voice and the right timing, you can write about anything and make it feel new. Jump for Joy travels some familiar territory but it does it in a way I’ve never seen before.
Part of the success of the book comes in mirroring. Ruelle uses the format of the picture book to mirror Joy and Jump’s discoveries and attempts together across the book's gutter. For example, in one sequence it reads on Joy’s page, “In the summer, Joy made a dog out of seashells. She called him Shelby. But the waves washed him away, bit by bit.” On the opposite page it reads, “Jump made a kid out of sand. He called her Sandy. But the waves washed her away, bit by bit.” Utilizing gentle repetition like this without it feeling samey can be tricky, and Ruelle manages to keep it up for most of the book. She also manages to stick the landing. Not only does she finally get to say that Jump jumped for Joy, but also that Joy jumped for joy, it finishes with just about the perfect line: “And neither of them wilted or melted or scattered or spattered or washed away.” Your voice naturally moves down in register as you get to the end of that sentence. That's a fine example of an author guiding you on how to read their book.
The showy element of Jump for Joy that catches your interest immediately is the mix of art styles. From the publication page we know that, “The art for the characters was creating using brush and ink. Their black and white world is made from found textures and images from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, collaged together to create something new.” This type of mixed media has been done many times before in entertainment for adults (Monty Python’s animated sequences come immediately to mind) but I can’t think of many examples when it’s happened in a children’s book. There was a book for kids by Donald Barthleme called The Slightly Irregular Fire Engine or The Hithering Thithering Djinn, but for all that it was a picture book, it was a pretty clear-cut example of an adult author having no idea how to write for kids. This art is different. It isn’t there to impress, but to set up a very clear cut contrast. Normally in books for kids, reality will be depicted in black and white and a child’s imagination or fantasy world will be all in color. Here it’s completely the opposite. The dogs and kids that Jump and Joy make are colorless ephemera that melt, blow away, get washed away with the tides, etc. It’s no coincidence that when the two find one another at the end, gone are the pure white pages. Instead the world explodes in color, Hooper cleverly coloring in the flower etchings, mixing the imaginary and the real together. It’s exceedingly smart work.
“Brush and ink” is how Hooper describes what Jump and Joy are made of. Both are wonderful strokes of paint that exude so much joy. Jump, for his part, has a very early Snoopy quality about him. The first time you see him, he’s standing, looking at some kid and dog-shaped clouds, standing on his hind feet with his front paws clasped solemnly behind his back. He walks along in that manner on the next page, a serene expression on his face, holding a ball, and if ever an illustrator should teach a masterclass on getting your child audience to fall in love with a character instantly, Hooper should. Then there are the details. For a book that exists primarily against white backgrounds, it’s amazing how much fun gets packed in. For example, a clever reader would do well to keep their eye on a certain red ball that appears periodically throughout the book. Keep your eye on the ball, kids.
I’ve been very good this whole review and I haven’t ONCE said that “I don’t instantly like dog books because I’m not really a dog person”, which is sort of my standard line with these sorts of things. I think I should probably retire that caveat anyway, since more and more often we see such a blessed array of magnificent books on every possible subject for kids. This is just one of the latest. It’s a great read aloud to a large group of children and a sweet one-on-one lapsit. It’s perfect for kids who want dogs, kids who don’t want dogs, and kids who are dog neutral. It’s beautiful to the eye, ingenious in both its writing and the accompanying art, and it hits you hard in the heart when you finish. Best of all, Ruelle and Hooper are working in perfect tandem together. Hooper picks up what Ruelle lays down. The end result is maybe the best book either of them have ever worked on before. The dog book that none of us knew we needed, has arrived.
There is Joy. She’s a kid who wants a dog. And she firmly believes that, “She’d know her dog when she saw him.” Then there’s Jump. He’s in the same boat and also firmly believes that, “He’d know his kid when he saw her.” Until that happens, however, both Jump and Joy try constructing companions out of natural elements. Firs they both try growing things, like tulips or ferns. When those wilt and fall apart they try seashells and sand. Next it’s sticks and mud, and after that, snow. Though their homemade companions melt away, time after time, there’s a happy ending in this pair’s future, and a definite jump for joy on the horizon.
Karen Gray Ruelle’s been in this game a long time. In fact, when I was looking at this book I just kept chanting her name over and over in my head. I KNEW her name. So why couldn’t I mentally conjure up any of her books? It wasn’t until I traveled over to her website that all became clear. Of COURSE I know her name by heart! She wrote the board books, The Book of Breakfasts, The Book of Baths, and The Book of Bedtimes, all of which I read ad nauseum to my kids when they were so very small. On top of that, back when I was still working for New York Public Library, she was the voice behind the magnificent The Grand Mosque of Paris. Right! Karen Gray Ruelle! Here, she brings to life something I like to say all the time about picture books. It doesn’t matter if your idea has been done a million times before. Picture books about kids wanting dogs and/or dogs wanting kids? You can’t throw a dart in a children’s library without hitting one of these (note: please do not throw darts in children’s rooms). But if you’ve an author with the right voice and the right timing, you can write about anything and make it feel new. Jump for Joy travels some familiar territory but it does it in a way I’ve never seen before.
Part of the success of the book comes in mirroring. Ruelle uses the format of the picture book to mirror Joy and Jump’s discoveries and attempts together across the book's gutter. For example, in one sequence it reads on Joy’s page, “In the summer, Joy made a dog out of seashells. She called him Shelby. But the waves washed him away, bit by bit.” On the opposite page it reads, “Jump made a kid out of sand. He called her Sandy. But the waves washed her away, bit by bit.” Utilizing gentle repetition like this without it feeling samey can be tricky, and Ruelle manages to keep it up for most of the book. She also manages to stick the landing. Not only does she finally get to say that Jump jumped for Joy, but also that Joy jumped for joy, it finishes with just about the perfect line: “And neither of them wilted or melted or scattered or spattered or washed away.” Your voice naturally moves down in register as you get to the end of that sentence. That's a fine example of an author guiding you on how to read their book.
The showy element of Jump for Joy that catches your interest immediately is the mix of art styles. From the publication page we know that, “The art for the characters was creating using brush and ink. Their black and white world is made from found textures and images from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, collaged together to create something new.” This type of mixed media has been done many times before in entertainment for adults (Monty Python’s animated sequences come immediately to mind) but I can’t think of many examples when it’s happened in a children’s book. There was a book for kids by Donald Barthleme called The Slightly Irregular Fire Engine or The Hithering Thithering Djinn, but for all that it was a picture book, it was a pretty clear-cut example of an adult author having no idea how to write for kids. This art is different. It isn’t there to impress, but to set up a very clear cut contrast. Normally in books for kids, reality will be depicted in black and white and a child’s imagination or fantasy world will be all in color. Here it’s completely the opposite. The dogs and kids that Jump and Joy make are colorless ephemera that melt, blow away, get washed away with the tides, etc. It’s no coincidence that when the two find one another at the end, gone are the pure white pages. Instead the world explodes in color, Hooper cleverly coloring in the flower etchings, mixing the imaginary and the real together. It’s exceedingly smart work.
“Brush and ink” is how Hooper describes what Jump and Joy are made of. Both are wonderful strokes of paint that exude so much joy. Jump, for his part, has a very early Snoopy quality about him. The first time you see him, he’s standing, looking at some kid and dog-shaped clouds, standing on his hind feet with his front paws clasped solemnly behind his back. He walks along in that manner on the next page, a serene expression on his face, holding a ball, and if ever an illustrator should teach a masterclass on getting your child audience to fall in love with a character instantly, Hooper should. Then there are the details. For a book that exists primarily against white backgrounds, it’s amazing how much fun gets packed in. For example, a clever reader would do well to keep their eye on a certain red ball that appears periodically throughout the book. Keep your eye on the ball, kids.
I’ve been very good this whole review and I haven’t ONCE said that “I don’t instantly like dog books because I’m not really a dog person”, which is sort of my standard line with these sorts of things. I think I should probably retire that caveat anyway, since more and more often we see such a blessed array of magnificent books on every possible subject for kids. This is just one of the latest. It’s a great read aloud to a large group of children and a sweet one-on-one lapsit. It’s perfect for kids who want dogs, kids who don’t want dogs, and kids who are dog neutral. It’s beautiful to the eye, ingenious in both its writing and the accompanying art, and it hits you hard in the heart when you finish. Best of all, Ruelle and Hooper are working in perfect tandem together. Hooper picks up what Ruelle lays down. The end result is maybe the best book either of them have ever worked on before. The dog book that none of us knew we needed, has arrived.
March 12, 2024
Super simplistic story about a dog finding a girl and a girl finding a dog but THE ARTWORK!!!! It was beautiful. I loved the contrasting illustrations between Jump and Joy and the rest of the environment. It looked as though they were drawn in watercolor while the environment was done with ink pen. The final addition of color made it feel as though they found joy and new life within each other. Beautifully done!
January 7, 2025
Joy wants a dog and Jump wants a kid; this is the story of how the two find each other. I loved how this one included two stories in one .
December 12, 2023
This was cute.
Joy has always loved dogs and jump has always loved kids. And when they meet, sparks fly.
This was wonderful, whimsical and with colorful Illustration. My kid loves dogs, dogs are her most favourite pets in the world. And this was fun to read with her . She enjoyed every bit of it.
Thank you Netgalley and Astra publishing for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Joy has always loved dogs and jump has always loved kids. And when they meet, sparks fly.
This was wonderful, whimsical and with colorful Illustration. My kid loves dogs, dogs are her most favourite pets in the world. And this was fun to read with her . She enjoyed every bit of it.
Thank you Netgalley and Astra publishing for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
February 6, 2024
Budding kidlit Illustrators, I suspect you'll be studying this in a class someday - the choice of line work vs watercolor, media, b&w vs color, conveying insubstantiality; brilliant visual storytelling. I'm not going to get wonky and analyze it but check this book out.
But the story is wonderful as well; keep imagining, it will materialize.
But the story is wonderful as well; keep imagining, it will materialize.
January 27, 2024
Simple and sweet! A girl looking for a dog. A dog looking for a kid.
Text: I somehow felt that it needed another sentence or two to wrap it up. That aside, with the patterned repetition, it's a story children will delight in hearing (and reading) again and again.
Illustrations: Why does Joy imagine her dog as a dog while Jump imagines a kid as a tree? (Not consistent with his later imaginings.) And a few of the letters on the cover are a bit tricky to make out. But, wow! The illustrations overall are so cool. I love it when the font is stated (Avenir LT Std 55 Roman) and the art is explained. In part: "... Their black and white world is made from found textures and images from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries..."
I received this as a promo book and I'm happy to recommend it for ages 2 to 102.
#AstraBooksForYoungReaders
Text: I somehow felt that it needed another sentence or two to wrap it up. That aside, with the patterned repetition, it's a story children will delight in hearing (and reading) again and again.
Illustrations: Why does Joy imagine her dog as a dog while Jump imagines a kid as a tree? (Not consistent with his later imaginings.) And a few of the letters on the cover are a bit tricky to make out. But, wow! The illustrations overall are so cool. I love it when the font is stated (Avenir LT Std 55 Roman) and the art is explained. In part: "... Their black and white world is made from found textures and images from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries..."
I received this as a promo book and I'm happy to recommend it for ages 2 to 102.
#AstraBooksForYoungReaders
January 14, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and Astra for the ARC of this!
What an adorable story of a kid and a dog who were meant for each other! My kids enjoyed this a lot. The illustrations were extremely cute.
What an adorable story of a kid and a dog who were meant for each other! My kids enjoyed this a lot. The illustrations were extremely cute.
March 24, 2024
Pure joy is shown in this story about a girl and a dog looking for each other. The illustrations are a combination of black and white and color, collaged together. I agree with a review I read that this could be a potential Caldecott.
Read
February 11, 2024An adorable dog story with creative illustrations.
March 29, 2024
Sweet and joyful story of a girl and a dog who find each other. The star of the book is the illustrations which light up every page with originality. Caldecott contender?
Read
February 5, 2024Charming story and engaging repetition.
Read
January 24, 2024Turn/Level: 1/3
Dogs, Adoption, Finding Joy
A cute story about a girl name Joy and and dog named Jump finding each other.
Dogs, Adoption, Finding Joy
A cute story about a girl name Joy and and dog named Jump finding each other.
December 23, 2024
This satisfying picture book about a girl and a dog follows a romance trope to bring the meant-for-you-couple together in the end. Excellent for dog owners and those who long to be dog owners.
I will be looking for his come Caldecott season next month.
I will be looking for his come Caldecott season next month.
January 4, 2024
What an adorable book! Jump for Joy is a picture book about a girl named Joy who has always wanted a dog and a dog named Jump who has always wanted a kid. Joy crafts dogs out of various things around her but they never last. Meanwhile, Jump creates children with the things he finds in his environment, but none of them are what he needs. When Jump and Joy's worlds connect, delight ensues! Dog lovers, you don't want to miss this one! All the stars for this heart-warmer!
Thanks to Astra Young Readers and NetGalley for a review copy of this charming picture book!
Thanks to Astra Young Readers and NetGalley for a review copy of this charming picture book!
October 1, 2023
This book feels so wholesome!!!! For the kids who have always wanted a pet dog, this is for you! Yes, parents and teachers, get this book for them.
I find the book quite interesting as how it describes the characters and their emotions perfectly. The first half is all about how Joy, a little girl, who has always wanted a dog and Jump, a little dog, who has always wanted to be with a kid.
The second half gets so colourful and their journey is so beautiful. Just get this book for the kids. It’s beautiful.
Thank you, Astra Young Readers, for the advance reading copy.
I find the book quite interesting as how it describes the characters and their emotions perfectly. The first half is all about how Joy, a little girl, who has always wanted a dog and Jump, a little dog, who has always wanted to be with a kid.
The second half gets so colourful and their journey is so beautiful. Just get this book for the kids. It’s beautiful.
Thank you, Astra Young Readers, for the advance reading copy.
September 18, 2023
That was sweet- Alice Bailey age 5
April 27, 2024
The text/narrative in this delightful picture book feels perfect- a "just right" selection of statements that reach deep into our hearts and connects with what we all know to be true. When something REALLY matters to us,meven something we've actually never know before, there is a truth to it that can't be denied. In this case, Joy had ALWAYS wanted dog, and somehow, in her heart, she knew WHICH dog it would be- or rather that she would recognize the right dog when it came into her life. JUMP, in the other hand (paw) was a dog who also knew what he most needed. A KID. But not just any kid. JUMP knew that the right kid would present him/herself, and when that happened, there would be no doubt.
This seemingly simple premise strikes a deeply-rooted awareness in me that some things, some longings, are so much a part of our lives that they are worth waiting for, confident that we will be completed at some point. Multi-award-winning illustrator Chris Raschka depicts the emotional content and the diligent efforts of JUMP and JOY with a distinct approach: As each moves through life on their quest, Both JUMP and JOY are softly rendered in a glowing brown/gold, soft-edged style we recognize from many of Raschka's other picture books. Everything else, every detailed spread, places our little heroes on intently rendered back-and-white line drawings, nearly pixilated, but allow us to sense the distance JUMP and JOY feel from their (so far) unsuccessful efforts. Even when the longterm outcomes of their daily designs brings some happiness and satisfaction, those blooming flowers and ferns appear in fine line detail in black and white. Their enthusiasm calls attention to each other and Raschka reveals their thrilling connection, providing one full spread of celebratory nature with those refined lines but splashed with a rainbow of color.
The pairing of the two techniques is clearly perfect, just as the original story line and art are perfect at confirming the delayed but persistent efforts to complete themselves by finding each other. Brilliance.
This seemingly simple premise strikes a deeply-rooted awareness in me that some things, some longings, are so much a part of our lives that they are worth waiting for, confident that we will be completed at some point. Multi-award-winning illustrator Chris Raschka depicts the emotional content and the diligent efforts of JUMP and JOY with a distinct approach: As each moves through life on their quest, Both JUMP and JOY are softly rendered in a glowing brown/gold, soft-edged style we recognize from many of Raschka's other picture books. Everything else, every detailed spread, places our little heroes on intently rendered back-and-white line drawings, nearly pixilated, but allow us to sense the distance JUMP and JOY feel from their (so far) unsuccessful efforts. Even when the longterm outcomes of their daily designs brings some happiness and satisfaction, those blooming flowers and ferns appear in fine line detail in black and white. Their enthusiasm calls attention to each other and Raschka reveals their thrilling connection, providing one full spread of celebratory nature with those refined lines but splashed with a rainbow of color.
The pairing of the two techniques is clearly perfect, just as the original story line and art are perfect at confirming the delayed but persistent efforts to complete themselves by finding each other. Brilliance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2024
We get rental books at our library, and I don't get to pick them, and most of them are dreadful stuff that I hate--all the trendy crap. Well, I love this one, and I've put it on a list to buy a copy when the rental goes back. I love it that much. Four and a half stars if I could do that.
It's a very simple story-girl wants dog, dog wants a kid, finally they meet. It's told with just the right words, not too few, not too many. But it's the art that is sheer genius and Hadley Hooper should get a Caldecott nomination for it. Most of the book is primarily black and white illustrations (from Hooper's note)collaged from antique images, with a wonderful textural feel to it. Joy the girl and Jump the dog are done with brush and ink in brown tones, and are kind of blobby in a way that contrasts perfectly. And when girl and dog finally meet, the world suddenly gains full color, though Joy and Jump remain brown blobs that somehow harmonize with the colors even more than the black and whites. Just wonderful.
It's a very simple story-girl wants dog, dog wants a kid, finally they meet. It's told with just the right words, not too few, not too many. But it's the art that is sheer genius and Hadley Hooper should get a Caldecott nomination for it. Most of the book is primarily black and white illustrations (from Hooper's note)collaged from antique images, with a wonderful textural feel to it. Joy the girl and Jump the dog are done with brush and ink in brown tones, and are kind of blobby in a way that contrasts perfectly. And when girl and dog finally meet, the world suddenly gains full color, though Joy and Jump remain brown blobs that somehow harmonize with the colors even more than the black and whites. Just wonderful.
September 13, 2023
This is a delightful and whimsical story about a kid who desperately wanted a dog, and a dog who desperately wanted a kid.
While they each waited for that other magical person to show up in their lives, they made substitutes out of ferns and flowers and sand and snow.
And they waited. And waited.
Because each of them knew that they would immediately recognise which dog/kid was meant for them when they saw them. And they were right...
The story is simple but so very sweet, the accompanying illustrations are wonderful, and so is the wordplay. I cannot recommend this one too highly!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
While they each waited for that other magical person to show up in their lives, they made substitutes out of ferns and flowers and sand and snow.
And they waited. And waited.
Because each of them knew that they would immediately recognise which dog/kid was meant for them when they saw them. And they were right...
The story is simple but so very sweet, the accompanying illustrations are wonderful, and so is the wordplay. I cannot recommend this one too highly!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
February 21, 2024
I really love this sweet picture book. The art is really delightful and the story, beautiful and emotional. It is the story of two beings who dream to find a companion. One is a little girl, whose biggest dream is to have a canine best friend. The other is a dog, who wants to belong to a kid. The book follows them both, until a happy ending reunites them both.
All in black and white, except for the two characters in yellow, this picture book is an ode to dream and hope. I love how nature becomes vivid and colorful once they meet, symbol of their happiness. Jump for Joy is a great read for any children who are an animal lover and is on a quest to find their best friend.
All in black and white, except for the two characters in yellow, this picture book is an ode to dream and hope. I love how nature becomes vivid and colorful once they meet, symbol of their happiness. Jump for Joy is a great read for any children who are an animal lover and is on a quest to find their best friend.
June 13, 2024
Will Joy find her dog? Will jump find his kid? A playful and beautifully illustrated and designed picture books that offers dual characters "hoping to find one another". After two readings it starts to truly catch on as both characters (using the same group of words) spend a year of seasons trying to make the perfect friend - until - well, I will not give it all away. It is a fun read aloud to a group - or one on one as each turn of the page is a new discovery. The artwork combines brush and ink and early 20th Century prints to create both a whimsical and magical story.
February 2, 2024
Jump for Joy by Karen Gray Ruelle (2024)
I don't have any children so I rarely find myself looking at children's books. Ever so often, though, I'll see a children's book and be intrigued enough to seek it out.
Jump for Joy is a heartwarming book about a young girl looking for a dog of her own and an adorable doggo named Jump looking for a kid they can play with. They are separated through the 4 seasons, and I think you'll probably guess correctly if they come together by the last page.
I don't have any children so I rarely find myself looking at children's books. Ever so often, though, I'll see a children's book and be intrigued enough to seek it out.
Jump for Joy is a heartwarming book about a young girl looking for a dog of her own and an adorable doggo named Jump looking for a kid they can play with. They are separated through the 4 seasons, and I think you'll probably guess correctly if they come together by the last page.
February 9, 2024
Perhaps my deep desire for a dog of my own makes me love this book so much! I love that it doesn't matter to either the human or the dog what kind of companion--big, little, spotted, curly---they'll both know their dog/kid when they see them.
Joy and Jump's ink illustrations contrasts nicely with the collaged black and white world around them. The burst of color on the last two spreads is lovely and a perfect representation of Joy and Jump's newfound friendship.
Joy and Jump's ink illustrations contrasts nicely with the collaged black and white world around them. The burst of color on the last two spreads is lovely and a perfect representation of Joy and Jump's newfound friendship.
February 20, 2024
Brief summary: Joy always wanted a dog but did not know what kind. She would know when she saw him. Jump, a dog, always wanted a kid. He knew the right one when he saw her. They create various versions of dogs and kids out of materials around them in Nature. Will they ever find each other?
Comments: I like how the world around them goes from black and white to color. The illustrator used images from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries to create collages.
Rating: 3.5/5 --📗📗📗 1/2
Comments: I like how the world around them goes from black and white to color. The illustrator used images from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries to create collages.
Rating: 3.5/5 --📗📗📗 1/2
March 3, 2024
This is a sweet beautiful story. As a dog lover, I can't wait to read this to my kids. Joy needed Jump and Jump needed Joy; and the sentiment is portrayed so beautifully in this story. I really liked the simple illustrations throughout and the way they changed when joy was found. The best way to describe this simple picture book: It left a smile on my face.
Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
May 9, 2024
When I read this book to my class, I didn't get a good look at the illustrations, but rereading it helps me see that the illustrator has some real talent. Only when I read the copyright page at the end did I realize that the art came from textures and images from the last three centuries, so that's pretty neat. The text is also very good. There's some predictability and fun with words and names. (Jump is a dog and Joy is a girl, for starters!)
June 1, 2024
A girl named Joy loves dogs and a dog named Jump loves kids. Joy really wants a dog. "She'd know her dog when she saw him." Jump really wants a kid. "He'd know his kid when he saw her." While they search they live in a black and white world. A charming picture book of wistful longing with a very happy, gloriously colorful ending.
"'A dog!' cried Joy.
'A kid!' cried Jump (only it sounded like he said 'Woof!')"
"'A dog!' cried Joy.
'A kid!' cried Jump (only it sounded like he said 'Woof!')"
August 16, 2024
Glorious. I thought I reviewed this title on Goodreads months ago. Just realized I hadn't. It is one of the best children's picture books I have ever read. Ever. Simple premise but the mirroring is perfection. Joy yearns for a dog. Jump yearns for a child. I love the illustrations Hadley Hooper creates in general. But in Jump for Joy, Hooper takes it to the next level. A book children and adults will all love. The 2025 Caldecott committee should as well. It is just that good.
September 17, 2024
I have returned to my first book passion - picture books - and I am so very glad that my first read of this year was this beautiful little gem.
The necessity of waiting - patiently for the "right one."
The magic and fragility of pretend friends.
The beauty and surprise of finding just the right one.
My good ness this book is beautiful. The melding of illustration and text is flawless. Just lovely!
The necessity of waiting - patiently for the "right one."
The magic and fragility of pretend friends.
The beauty and surprise of finding just the right one.
My good ness this book is beautiful. The melding of illustration and text is flawless. Just lovely!
January 30, 2024
All the while Joy searched for THE dog meant for her, there was a dog named Jump looking for a kid of his own. This sweet, touching story is a treat for dog lovers of all ages. (And, I love how the world bursts into color when they find each other.)
Thanks to NetGalley and Astra Publishing for the read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Astra Publishing for the read.
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