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Jabari loved to swim.
He was really good at it, too. He’d gone to all his swimming
lessons and he passed every test. He was so good at swimming
that he was ready to jump off the diving board. He even told
his dad about it.
The diving board was “high and maybe a little scary…” There
were a lot of rungs to climb to get to the top - Jabari
could tell that from the side of the pool. Other kids on top
of the diving board looked tiny from below as they sprang up
and splashed down into the water. It was a long, long way to
dive, but Jabari thought it looked like fun – and besides,
he was a “great jumper.”
As he stood by the ladder, he looked up. Way up.
Then he turned around and looked at the other kids in line.
They’d been standing there awhile; maybe they should go
first. In fact, maybe a “tiny rest” was a good idea before
tackling such a huge thing. And oh, Jabari forgot to do his
stretches before swimming – that’s very important. Maybe
tomorrow would be better for diving off the board.
But then Daddy said something that Jabari never thought
about. Daddy knew exactly what Jabari was thinking, and he
had some helpful advice. There were many ways to dive off a
board and into a pool. You can jump feet-first or with your
arms above your head, backwards or forwards, straight or
flipping head over feet, but there was only one way to get
to the top to do it.
And so Jabari did…
More than three out of five Americans don’t know how to
swim. In the African-American community, that number is
considerably higher. Jabari Jumps may help fix that.
It’s okay to love swimming, according to author Gaia
Cornwall’s energetic little main character. It’s okay to get
all wet and take swim lessons. It’s actually fun, and
Cornwall’s illustrations make it seem so.
But, as your child will see, it’s also okay to be scared of
doing something you’ve never done before. In this, Cornwall
makes it clear to even the smallest youngster that Jabari’s
faux-bravery is wavering even as he brags about his big
plans in the pool. There’s plenty of reassurance here,
though. Jabari’s father is a great supporting character,
understanding and calm with no belittling.
In the end, well, I’m sure you know where this book goes.
Kids might, too, and it’s a joyous finale that will leave
young readers with a smile and maybe an urge to learn to
swim. If that’s what you want to foster in your child, then
give him Jabari Jumps. Do it. |
