Children's Book World

Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He’s finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he’s a great jumper, so he’s not scared at all. “Looks easy,” says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back. He needs to figure out what kind of special jump to do anyway, and he should probably do some stretches before climbing up onto the diving board. In a sweetly appealing tale of overcoming your fears, newcomer Gaia Cornwall captures a moment between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can’t help but root for.

Jabari is making a flying machine in his backyard! “It’ll be easy. I don’t need any help,” he declares. But it doesn’t work! Jabari is frustrated. Good thing Dad is there for a pep talk and his little sister, Nika, is there to assist, fairy wings and all. With the endearing father-child dynamic of Jabari Jumps and engaging mixed-media illustrations, Gaia Cornwall’s tale shows that through perseverance and flexibility, an inventive thought can become a brilliant reality.

Let’s go, let’s go! Hopping and skipping into the woods behind their house, a trio of kids and their loyal doggy companion head off into the wild world in search of fairies. Their explorations lead them across a babbling brook and through bushes and meadows of fragrant honey snowdrops and bee balm. But where are the fairies? They peer under heavy rocks and peek under fleecy carpets of moss, finding dragonlike salamanders and scampering creepy-crawlies, but no fairies. The adventurers don’t lose hope, though–if they look very closely and listen hard enough, there’s always magic to be found in the woods!