Jump! - Hardcover

Lavis (Cock-A-Doodle-Doo, 1997) brings readers into the fray from the outset: ``Tiger jumping, frog jumping, let's jump too.'' A boy and his teddy bear and their frog companion visit and step out with a number of animals. They swing with a monkey, roar with a lion, slither with a snake (teddy shivers, not slithers), fly with a toucan, and stomp with an elephant, until by the end of the book all are gathered in a gyrating hoe-down, a furious commotion that begs for participation. As much as the book encourages physical involvement, it also inspires readers to shout along with the energetic, rhyming, repetitive text: ``Crocodile snapping, let's start clapping, frog's scared of you.'' The frog offers minor funny asides on every page of this amiable outing, further buoyed by Lavis's carefree watercolors. (Picture book. 2-6) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 1^-3. Like Eric Carle's From Head to Toe (1997) and Zita Newcome's Toddlerobics (1996), this is a lively interactive book that will have toddlers imitating the actions and noises. A boy holds his teddy bear, and they clap, jump, munch, march, roar, and dance with tiger, monkey, crocodile, and other cheerful creatures. The simple repetitive words and watercolor cartoon pictures ("Elephant stamping, frog stamping, let's stamp too") will teach the names of the animals and actions and the fun of books. Hazel Rochman