Leap!

In appropriately propulsive verse, Lawson (Sidewalk Flowers) creates a chain of leaping animals, starting with a flea that awakens from a nap “in the deep green moss.” The flea lands in the path of a grasshopper, who jumps onto a rabbit, whose startled leap sets off a dog: “The bunny bounds out as the clouds roll in./ A dog gets a whiff and barks at the wind—/ bouncing, bouncing, springing and lunging!/ Down the bank that dog goes plunging.” Lawson times each leap to a page turn—his blithe verse almost demands to be read faster and faster with each progressive jump—creating a crescendo of energy that eventually abates as the dog and flea nestle down in the moss, not to leap but to do something that rhymes with it. Bisaillon (Mom, Dad, Our Books, and Me) uses digitally collaged elements, watery bursts of bright color, and a slightly jittery line to create a radiant summery landscape for Lawson’s bounding cast, which also includes a fish, frog, and horse. Expect children to show off their own joyful jumps after hearing this one. Ages 3–7. Illustrator’s agency: Morgan Gaynin. (Sept.)