Sam and Jump

When both of my boys were little they each had a plush animal that they loved and were anxious without. How many times did we head out for something and leave one of them behind? (One of the animals; we never left one of the boys behind. No matter what you’ve heard.) It was reason to panic. And if we were not too far from home, turn around and retrieve.

For son number one it was a panda in a hooded jacket. For son number two, it was a stuffed version of Little Foot from the Land Before Time movie. Both animals became good examples of “well-loved.”

 

 

SAM AND JUMP, Candlewick Press, written and illustrated by Jennifer K. Mann is a beautiful and touching book that deals with that kind of attachment. Sam is a boy and Jump is his stuffed rabbit.

It is obvious they are best friends because they do everything together.

One day on a trip to the beach, Sam and Jump meet Thomas. They spend the day playing in the surf, building castles, and chasing birds. You can see a good friendship form between Sam and Thomas.

So much so that Jump is accidentally left behind. Unfortunately, Sam realizes it too late. His mother assures him they will return to the beach the next day and find Jump.

Sam agonizes over dinner, through a bedtime story, and into the night worrying about all the awful things that could have, might have happened to Jump.

The next day at the beach, Jump is nowhere to be found. A melancholy Sam wanders the beach but it’s just not the same without Jump.

Then Thomas arrives…

This is a truly satisfying read, leaving you with a particularly satisfied feeling of”awww.”

Mann’s art, always engaging, is done here in watercolor and pencil and a little digital magic, is gorgeous and moving. A beautiful palette sets the range of moods of the story. Her characters are endearing and always evoke emotion so well.

 

kevan atteberry

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21 Comments:

  1. A touching story! I look forward to reading it.

  2. Thanks for sharing this book. There’s wonderful expression in the pages shown!

  3. Yay! Another Jennifer Mann book!

  4. Danielle Hammelef

    I have to find this book. Thanks for the post–this is a must read for me.

  5. One of my boys had a blanket, but the other had a “cat.” They were loved into nothingness.

  6. Love that last page with the “unsaid” in the illustration! Excellent!

  7. My son had bow bear. When he was about 18 months he had surgery and both his arms and lets were strapped down, so he wouldn’t scratch himself. Bow bear (he had a rainbow on him) played 3 songs when you pushed a button. Our son pushed that button day and night, for that was the only thing he could control for nearly a week. I was so happy we gave him something he could do when he could do nothing else.
    I will look up this book, it sounds sweet.

  8. We are always afraid we’ll leave Monkey behind. This story looks so so sweet.

  9. Such a sweet and gentle story.

  10. I enjoyed reading this book to our granddaughter. Thank you for featuring SAM & JUMP, kevan.

  11. This story will resonate with so many readers. Looking forward to reading it soon!

  12. So sweet — I cannot wait to read. Thank you for sharing!

  13. A sweet story. Reminds me of Knufflebunny.

  14. Awww. Looks super sweet. I had a kitten stuffie that I loved into nothingness.

  15. Nice. I look forward to this one.

  16. a best friend is a good thing to have.

  17. I love this story!

  18. This looks darling. Just put it on hold at the library. Thanks for sharing it.

  19. Looks simple, sensitive, and totally lovely. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, Kevan!

  20. Awe.

  21. I haven’t read it yet but, I feel like I will end up saying “Awwww”. 🙂

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