Jabari Jumps: (A Motivational Story of Courage, Overcoming Fear, and Building Confidence - For Kids Ages 4-8)

Every once in awhile, a story comes along and fills a hole in the picture book universe. Maybe we knew about the void, like how few children’s books feature main characters of color, or perhaps we only realize what we’ve been missing in retrospect, like tales with a competent, emotionally attentive male caregiver. Through a carefully crafted plot and wonderfully expressive illustrations, Jabari Jumps does just that, claiming a spot in the story-time queue it won’t soon relinquish. In her debut picture book, author-illustrator Gaia Cornwall gives us an African American child doing something sure to resonate with any young reader: getting nervous about tackling a new skill. “I’m jumping off the diving board today,” the goggle-wearing boy tells his dad, “I’m not scared at all.” Jabari watches the other kids climb the long ladder and says it looks easy. “But when his dad squeezed his hand, Jabari squeezed back.” As Jabari repeatedly tries to summon the courage to take the plunge, his father checks in. “Maybe you should climb down and take a tiny rest,” he offers, “it’s okay to feel a little scared.” As all this unfolds, young readers will delight in fun sound effects (“Splash!”), just the right amount of repetition (“Down, down, down he went”), and illustrations somehow brimming with both realism and whimsy. The dedication and cover pages, for example, show Jabari changing into his swimsuit in precisely the way anyone his age would: he gets his head stuck in his shirt, sits down to remove his socks, and must mix a little pretending to be a penguin into the process. Side stories sprinkled throughout, like the kid chasing a bug or the one grimacing as sunblock is applied, are also sure to capture little imaginations. For adults, there’s more. Near the end, for example, Jabari’s dad shouts, “You did it!” rather than “Good job!”—reflecting the very latest in social science research on parenting (we are to encourage, the experts say, not praise). The pictures have a high-art feel with soothing yet vibrant colors and inventive patterns, such as the buildings constructed in newsprint and the bathing suit worn by Jabari’s little sister that changes with each turn of the page. And Cornwall’s use of perspective? Oh my. We see Jabari looking out at the world from the tip of the diving board on one breathtaking spread, and on another page he gazes straight down at the tops of people’s heads and his own toes “curled around the rough edge.” To have a story set at a public swimming pool about a black boy, as well as a father and sister who sport slightly different skin tones, shows Cornwall’s awareness of her book’s place in the ongoing civil rights movement. At the same time, the story isn’t about race. Jabari is just a little boy contemplating a big leap, who happens to have brown skin. Just in time for summer, Jabari, his dad, and Cornwall are ready to splash their way into readers’ hearts—and our notion of how a family looks and acts.

One of our favorite books! It arrived quickly and in good quality. We read it over and over again. It's great to see representation, and as people who frequent the public pool in a big city, it is fun to see that. And we could all use a little reminder of how brave we can be!

A simple story that has somehow become my daughter’s favorite book. I think she likes the build up of tension and resolution. Hearing her try and say Jabari Jumps is very sweet.

Such a sweet book to encourage kids who may be feeling nervous or scared. My 2 year old asks for this book by name before bed.

Gorgeous, unique illustrations combine with a universally-appealing story in this new children's book, which feels destined to become a classic. The story is deceptively simple but perfectly executed -- a little boy who says he's ready to jump off the diving board, except he's actually a little afraid and needs some gentle support and encouragement from dad to find the courage in himself. We have many, MANY books in our house but my nearly four-year-old daughter keeps coming back to this one. We read it multiple times the first day we bought it and it has been in heavy rotation ever since. In fact, it was such a hit that I took it to read at her preschool this week. The kids were mesmerized and listened in rapt attention (which is rare for this age, even when reading hits by the likes of Mo Willems or Shel Silverstein). As soon as I finished they asked me to read it again. And then many of them wanted to page through it later in the day, revisiting the illustrations and talking about the story. It's hard to beat the endorsement of 14 preschoolers!

I absolutely love this book and the values it teaches. I read it to my son for the first time tonight and plan to read in many more times in the future

Perfect mentor text for small moment writing.

What an engaging and encouraging story! The author skillfully captures the anxiety children can feel when facing new challenges and the way fear can impact child behaviors (hesitancy, doubt, making up excuses, giving up). In addition to this, the power of empathy is explored as the father unashamedly shares that he too, is sometimes afraid and shares his secret to overcome the feeling. The interchange allows Jabari to remain the hero in the story as he works out inner turmoil. As an added bonus, the lovely illustrations are a joyful experience that mesmerize both young and adult readers. This book should be on every child’s bookshelf. Great work!

I wanted to add more diversity to our son's collection of books. This was a cute story centred around a son and his dad at a pool as the son overcomes a fear of jumping off the diving board. The illustrations are great. I think it's a great book for kids getting ready for kindergarten or who are going to start something new and are a little anxious about it.

I added this book to my 2 year old daughters wishlist a while back and finally purchased it for her 3rd birthday present. It has not disappointed. She loves the book and asks for it again and again. I also love it and have not tired of reading it on repeat. She understands Jabari is scared, and that he does it anyway rather than letting fear stop him do something he really wants to do. She joins in with the celebration at the end "he did it!! He can do it!" And says "I can do it"l!!!" herself now when she believes she can't do something but surprises herself. The message is quit subtle, not overdone, but has worked a treat improving my 3 year olds way of thinking. The story is about overcoming fears but also how to support and be kind to help others. I like that the dad and little sister are there supporting, not pushing him in just a lovely way, and are there to cheer him on. Helps with teaching my daughter difference between not wanting to do something because she actually doesn't want to, as opposed to be scared or worried she'll fail/be no good at all ie. if you knew for sure you would succeed in doing something you're hesitant on, would you do it? If yes, you want to do it and it's just fear stopping you, if not, it's just something you don't want to do. I see this being a popular book for years to come. Illustrations are beautiful and really expressive. Great use of perspective to make us feel part of his jump and achievements! Highly Recommend for wide age group.

my 4 yo loves this story and specially the illustration. it is about a boy who wants to jump down the diving board and he is scared at the beginning . his dad helps him to overcome his fear and go beyond it.

Lindo livro!

Bellissimi disegni, bel rapporto con papà