cover image Jump Like Me!

Jump Like Me!

Cristina Ong, Gymboree. Random House Books for Young Readers, $2.95 (10pp) ISBN 978-0-394-88201-7

For these four Gymboree board books to succeed, parents will have to accept the notion that toddlers aren't getting enough exercise just toddling. Jump Like Me! shows kids imitating a kangaroo jump and a donkey kick, among other muscular exertions; We Sing Out gives them a chance to chant and dance at the same time; Wee Workout puts them through a mini-aerobics lesson (Does Jane Fonda wiggle her fingers and touch her elbows?); Back and Forth features kids interacting with playground equipment. Ong's pictures show joyful tykes in workout gear that includes headbands and legwarmers. The motto here is ""play with a purpose,'' but since when does play have to be meaningful? (3 months-4 years)