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“Joy is a girl who really wants a dog. Jump is a dog who really wants a girl. As the seasons change, Jump and Joy both create stand-ins for their longed-for mates, using snow, sand and mud — but none can match the sense of kismet when the pair finally find each other. Vintage illustrations are collaged with loose character drawings to create a unique visual representation of friendship.”—The New York Times
★ “The parallel yearnings of two strangers—a girl and a dog—carry readers through Jump for Joy, beautifully conceived…and awe-strikingly illustrated…From the get-go, readers will know where Jump for Joy is headed—and that’s the point: as with any love story (and that’s what this book is), the pleasure resides in the thrill of the chase. Here, the thrill also resides in Hooper’s outdoors-set collages, which incorporate found imagery dating as far back as the 18th century.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review
★ “The book utilizes white space and stark black-and-white illustrations to evoke Jump and Joy’s loneliness; the characters are in a different illustration style, further emphasizing their isolation. Only when the pair find each other do their worlds fill with color.” —Foreword Reviews, starred review
“Hadley Hooper? You’ve been holding out on us, girl. Seriously, this is a little masterpiece that catches the average reader by surprise. It’s a wonderful example of a story that’s been done a hundred times but now hits you in a whole new way thanks in large part to both the effervescent writing on Ruelle’s part, and Hooper’s joyous free-for-all in the art. In this book, Hooper helps tell the story of a girl who wants a dog and a dog that wants a girl by mixing collaged art from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries alongside vibrant paints. The black and white images aren’t there by chance either. Until Joy (the girl) finds Jump (the dog) and vice versa, their efforts to ‘make’ friends of their own out of these images feels colorless. Even if you aren’t a dog person, you’re going to really enjoy this.”—Betsy Bird, A Fuse 8 Production blog
“Ruelle packs in an impressive amount of clever wordplay in a relatively spare text. The repetitive rhythm of both Joy and Jump doing similar actions is reassuring, while Hooper’s brilliant, mostly black-and-white collaged world highlights the sepia-toned friends as they navigate their way toward each other. Of course, when they finally cross paths, the world blooms into color. A wistful meditation on patience and discovery.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Tightly structured storytelling by Ruelle and crisp, editorial-style artwork by Hooper frame this story about Joy, a girl, and Jump, a dog…The two are portrayed with antic energy in sepia, while their surroundings are rendered in b&w collages composed of antique etchings and illustrations. The story’s energy is focused on the search, with rich visual interest created by busy patterns and images.” —Publishers Weekly
“Ruelle’s simple story uses repetition and alliteration to good effect. Hooper colors the child and dog in soft, warm browns using brush and ink. The delicate background collages are primarily black and white until the characters meet, and then everything transforms into color. A sweetly told friendship story set against the changing seasons.” —The Horn Book
“With almost lyrical cadence, Ruelle spins a delightful tale about a girl named Joy and a dog named Jump…Hooper’s clever illustrations are mostly black and white until the end when full-color scenes explosively complement the words: ‘Joy jumped for joy and Jump jumped for Joy.’ A simple yet touching story about finding our forever friends. The wordplay makes this a fun book to read to children.” —School Library Journal
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