Jumpy Jack & Googily - Hardcover

Rosoff, Meg

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080508066X ISBN 13: 9780805080667

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2008

Synopsis

Meet Jumpy Jack, a very nervous snail who's afraid of monsters, and Googily, who is a―well, who is a very good friend, indeed. Wherever they go, Googily kindly checks high and low just to make sure there are no scary monsters about. But as every child knows, monsters come in many shapes and sizes. Some are even blue with hairy eyebrows and pointy teeth.

Jumpy Jack & Googily is a universal story of friendship and fear of the unknown told with wit and charm by the fantastic team who created the irresistible Meet Wild Boars.

About this title

About the Author

MEG ROSOFF is the author of Meet Wild Boars, as well as the author of the novels How I Live Now, winner of the Printz Award, and Just in Case, winner of the Carnegie Medal. She lives in London, England, with her husband and daughter.

SOPHIE BLACKALL has illustrated many books for young readers, including Meet Wild Boars, Summer Is Summer, and the Ivy and Bean books. She is the recipient of the Society of Illustrators Ezra Jack Keats Award for New Talent. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2—Jumpy Jack is a snail with buck teeth and a paralyzing fear of monsters. His friend Googily is a round, blue creature with sharp teeth, wild eyebrows, tentacle-like fingers, a bowler hat, and a kind heart. As they make their way home through a sunlit landscape, Jumpy Jack repeatedly stops and asks his friend to check for monsters before they proceed. Googily patiently complies, and there is much visual humor in the contrast between his large features looming up from behind windows and doors ("No monsters here! Or here!") and the snail's relieved response: "Phew!" This contrast also highlights the irrationality of Jumpy Jack's fears, and the power of a trusted friend to allay them. At the end of the day, the pals settle down to sleep, and it's Jack's turn to reassure Googily. The interplay between the two creates a wonderfully safe space for children to explore their fears. Youngsters will quickly pick up on the repetition, and the story may provide an opportunity for them to discuss their own "monsters." The text, which consists entirely of dialogue, employs a formal elevated tone that gently chides Jumpy Jack's childish fears, adding an element of dry humor. The illustrations are filled with whimsical details, from Googily's dapper wardrobe to the characters' matching dolls. The calm, slightly muted palette, along with the friendly expressiveness of the protagonists' faces, sends the subtle message that there is truly nothing here to fear.—Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD
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Jumpy Jack is a snail who is worried about monsters. Is there one behind that tree? Floating in the wading pool? Hiding in the house? Happily, Jumpy Jack has a friend, Googily, who is willing to check out all the places monsters might be hiding. The joke is that Googily is a monster himself, a fact that goes unnoticed by both. Mistaken monsters is a picture-book subgenre all its own, but the considerable talents of Rosoff and Blackall elevate this from the rest. Cavorting on creamy-colored backgrounds, the fang-toothed, blue-skinned Googily and timid Jack (a bit googly-eyed himself) milk all the deadpan humor out of the situation. Young ones will adore getting the joke and perceiving themselves smarter than the protagonists. The funniest moments come when Jack asks specific questions: “What if a monster stares at me through the letterbox and sticks out his awful tongue?” That will never happen, Googily assures him, then proceeds to do just that. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080508066X
• ISBN 13: 9780805080667
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Blackall Sophie
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32