Jumping Jenny

K-Gr 2—This is a story about Tikkun Olam, the act of trying to make the world a better place. Though the illustrations convey the fact that Jenny attends a Hebrew day school, she lives in a diverse community, and children of all backgrounds will relate to her predicament and benefit from the universal lessons imparted. "Your every ounce was made to bounce!" says Jenny's grandma when she notices how forlorn the little girl has become, trying to squelch her perpetual jumping. It's true that her constant motion has been interfering with life at school and at home, but suppressing her nature is not a good solution. Fortunately, Jenny's teacher believes in community service and organizes a fundraising project to assist a needy school in Uganda. Jenny commits to a jumpathon, collecting pledge money for each jump. She simultaneously reaches her goal of 1000 jumps and helps fund computers and books. It's unfortunate that the jumpathon idea comes from a talking pogo stick awkwardly invested with momentary magical powers rather than from Jenny herself. Nonetheless, with its bright, child-friendly cartoonlike illustrations, the book succeeds in reminding children to recognize their own gifts and to remember to give to others.—Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT