“Jabari Jumps,” by Gaia Cornwall.
Candlewick Press, Somerville, Massachusetts, 2017, K-2.
Courage is an interesting virtue. Where does it come from? Can you develop courage? What kinds of courage are there? Does a person going to a difficult job to provide for his or her family show courage? When children are faced with seemingly daunting situations how do they know how to act?
Gaia Cornwall asks all these questions in this uplifting picture book, “Jabari Jumps.” Jabari must learn how to summon up the will to do something that is fearful to him. Luckily, he has family members nearby to help him.
Jabari is a young boy interested in jumping off the diving board. All summer he has taken swimming lessons and feels confident in the swimming pool. But the diving board is another matter entirely. He is not very tall and the diving board is far off of the ground. What can he do? First, he talks to his dad and tells his father that this is the day he will overcome his fear of jumping off the end of the board.
His dad holds his hand as they walk to the swimming pool. Jabari puts on his swimming goggles and walks to the end of the line of those waiting to dive.
As the line moves, Jabari begins to get nervous. He tells his father that he might need to stretch first before attempting his dive. Dad tells Jabari that stretching is usually a good thing before diving. So Jabari goes through a series of stretching exercises.
But the diving board still is intimidating to the child. So he finally confesses to his dad that he is frightened of the distance from the board to the water. His father patiently listens to his son and tells him that it is okay sometimes to be nervous about difficult things. He tells the boy that he is sometimes anxious about things but just takes a deep breath and then is ready to go.
With this encouragement, Jabari begins the long climb up the ladder to the diving board. At the top, he looks out over the area far below. He sees his dad waiting for him far below in the pool. His father waves encouragingly to him. Jabari takes a deep breath. It is now or never. What does he do?
Does Jabari jump into the blue water below? What does he learn from the decision he chooses to make? How can the simple choices that we make have such a strong impact on who we become? Have you ever had to make a decision that made you frightened? How did you feel after the decision? Why is courage so important and how do we find it? What does Jabari do and learn from the experience? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out this fine picture book about courage and supportive love.
Gaia Cornwall has written an inspiring book about how a young boy learns to face a major challenge in his life. The pictures are both delightful and moving. When Jabari goes up the ladder to the diving board, you can feel how far up he must travel. The world below the diving board looks far away. He must take the risk of jumping off the board and discover what will happen to him.
Cornwall also shows the benefits of the care and support that fathers can give to their children. Without this family support, Jabari might never have chosen so well.
So if you want to read a great book with the young members of your family, this is it. I hope you like it as much as I did. Enjoy!
