From the Publisher
PRAISE FOR FOX AND THE JUMPING CONTEST: “The text is drily witty, and the comical illustrations, rendered in pencils, watercolors, and ink and assembled digitally, are energetic and appealing. Kids may want to have jumping contests of their own after reading this-just omit jetpacks.” — Kirkus Reviews
PRAISE FOR FOX AND THE JUMPING CONTEST: “Tabor’s picture-book debut doesn’t carry a lesson per se, but it does have plenty of laughs and utterly sweet illustrations. While Fox’s friends aren’t pleased to learn about his scheme, things (mostly) work out in the end.” — Booklist
Booklist
PRAISE FOR FOX AND THE JUMPING CONTEST: “Tabor’s picture-book debut doesn’t carry a lesson per se, but it does have plenty of laughs and utterly sweet illustrations. While Fox’s friends aren’t pleased to learn about his scheme, things (mostly) work out in the end.
Booklist
PRAISE FOR FOX AND THE JUMPING CONTEST: “Tabor’s picture-book debut doesn’t carry a lesson per se, but it does have plenty of laughs and utterly sweet illustrations. While Fox’s friends aren’t pleased to learn about his scheme, things (mostly) work out in the end.
School Library Journal
08/01/2018
PreS-Gr 1—Fox yearns to be a tiger. "Tigers are big. Tigers are fast…Tigers are the best." Fox and his friends, Turtle and Rabbit, spend the day pretending until a rainstorm washes away their disguises. Tabor uses pencil, watercolor, and crayon in a bright, but earthy palette. Most pages have a single illustration which provides context for one or two sentences. After Fox paints himself to look like a tiger, he admires his new stripes in a full-length mirror, can of paint nearby: "There. Now I am a tiger," says Tiger." The three friends have simple, but expressive cartoon features that add emotion to the story. Limited background details, creamy white pages, and an uncomplicated font are a perfect combination for an emerging reader. A humorous ending provides a positive message of self-acceptance that would have more power if Fox's epiphany came from within, rather than from the affirmation of others. VERDICT This is Fox's first appearance in an easy reader and it will surely be popular with children who enjoyed him in picture book format.—Lisa Taylor, Florida State College, Jacksonville
Kirkus Reviews
2018-05-23
Fox and friends play an imaginative game of pretend. While reading a book about tigers, Fox (Fox and the Bike Ride, 2017, etc.) wishes they were Tiger. "Tigers are big. / Tigers are fast. / Tigers are sneaky. // Tigers are the best," Fox reads. Paintbrush in hand, they paint their fur with stripes to transform into Tiger. Then, on a prowl, Tiger comes upon Turtle. Turtle initially mistakes Tiger for Fox before they are corrected. The exchange sparks an idea in Turtle, who disappears and comes back as Race Car: "I zip and zoom." Rabbit, a bystander, also gains inspiration. They disappear, return wearing a cardboard box, and reveal that they are now Robot: "I beep bop boop." The trio plays until a sudden rain washes away their disguises. But all is not lost: A passer-by, Squirrel, exclaims that Fox (as Fox) is "the best," no stripes needed. Using fewer than 60 words, Tabor creates a wonderful arc that includes an open ending (Squirrel paints themselves orange in the wordless final spread). The digitally rendered cartoon illustrations—originally created with pencil, watercolor, and crayon—are energetic and expressive. The overarching message of self-love is a good one, but the no-fuss acceptance of changing identities in text and dialogue (even if they are just pretend) is even better. Feel-good, make-believe fun. (Early reader. 3-6)
