Review by Booklist Review
Every day, a boy repetitively bounces up and down on his trampoline. He does not respond when passing children taunt or mock him. Long bangs cover his eyes, but when he jumps, the hair blows back and he can see. With him, readers take an imaginary journey into the sky, floating above clouds, and viewing birds and airplanes from an equal level. Using gouache and pencil, the ground views employ harsh tones of green, red, pink, and yellow, while the sky scenes are peacefully blue, white, and gray. The boy continues his solitary bouncing until one girl quietly slips past the fence of his yard. When they jump together on the trampoline, the colors form a bridge between the ground and the sky. As an exploration of point of view, the book offers opportunities for children to consider what it means to really know someone and to think about how different people see situations and one another. The book's unusual tall and narrow trim size is an invitation in itself to see things from varied perspectives.--Whitehurst, Lucinda Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Seen in an introductory close-up, Trampoline Boy's bangs are so long that they flop over the child's eyes. He loves jumping on his backyard trampoline, and the book's trim size-tall and narrow-emphasizes the verticality of his quiet, solitary pursuit. His gravity-defying bounces take him into the realm of red-winged blackbirds, fluffy clouds, and airplanes. The neighborhood kids jeer, but Trampoline Boy bounces on. Peaches, another neighbor, waits patiently for him to notice her. When he doesn't, she speaks: "I wish I could see what you see up there in that blue, blue sky." They jump together up into a place beyond the real, which Arbona (The Good Little Book) portrays with a riot of forms and colors: kite tails, rainbows, feathers-a place "where the world was clear and true." Sometimes, Forler's story suggests, it's enough if just one other person recognizes the gift someone has to offer. Whether it leads to a place of fantasy or just a sense of physical release, kids who have experienced the liberating joy of jumping will understand Trampoline Boy's obsession. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
This books protagonist (unnamed and unspeaking) loves jumping on his backyard trampoline so much, its all readers see him do. Bouncing makes him feel euphoric: Twirly-whirly, loop-dee-loop. After allunlike his oft-spotted, squirrel-chasing cat, stuck on the ground and adding humor to many spreadsthe boy gets to see the world from all-new perspectives. The vivid, saturated colors and vertical lines that dominate the spreads in which we see him jumping are juxtaposed with the warm blues and swirling, curving lines that surround him in the illustrations where he is, fantastically and delightedly, suspended in the ether. The neighborhood kids often gawk and jeer, but nothing stops the bouncing boy until one determined girl whispers: Trampoline Boy, I wish I could see what you see up there in that blue, blue sky. The fact that someone reaches out to the boy in an effort to understand and share in his joy is enough to stop him, momentarily. The two join hands and undertake an aerial adventure. The last spread, in which theyve jumped high above a rainbow and the world is clear and true, bursts with color and exuberance. Children may jump at the chance to pore over this unusual and inviting story. julie Danielson (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
As one might guess from the book's title, an otherwise unnamed boy with bangs that cover his eyes is obsessed with bouncing on his trampoline.He bounces from morning to night, reaching magical heights, from which he is able to see red-winged blackbirds flying past, "airplanes drawing curly-cues," and "wispy white clouds." His obsession draws unwelcome attention from passing schoolchildren, who mock his constant bouncing. "Can't you do anything else?" they taunt. "He is so weird" The boy's lack of social connection suggests he may be on the spectrum. Only one child is drawn into his bouncy, magical world, an extremely shy and hesitant little girl named Peaches. She watches him for a long time before he notices her. Finally he realizes that Peaches is not mocking and really wants to know "what you see / up there in that blue, blue sky." They stare into each other's eyes and, holding hands, they bounce up and up and up. An unusual tall format, ideal for the vertical subject matter, and Arbona's bright, quirky postmodern illustrations make this an attractive production. Both children have pale skin; Peaches' eyes are open wide, while Trampoline Boy's appear permanently closed when they aren't obscured by his bangs, which heightens his emotional distance. While the connection between outsiders is warming, it is oblique, as wispy as the clouds they bounce through. Safety-conscious adults will suck their teeth at the trampoline, which does not have even a net around it.Doesn't get off the ground. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
