JoJo’s Jump
Price as reviewed:
£7.99
JoJo’s Jump
Author: Stephanie Mason
Illustrations: Natalie Merheb
Published: 2022
Available as paperback
View now at amazon.co.uk
About JoJo’s Jump
JoJo is a young pony who is growing up quickly in the sunny countryside. The time has now come for her to put her best hoof forward and try her first jump. With the support of her friends, she is reminded to believe in herself. Does she eventually make it over the top?
Review
I haven’t seen many pony-themed books for this age group (pre-school and early learners) so it was a delight to dive into the vivid pages of JoJo’s Jump with my pony-mad six-year-old son.
The author takes us on an enjoyable journey with a young pony called JoJo who needs to learn to believe in herself as she is taught how to jump. She goes through all the emotions young children may experience themselves in new situations – she’s nervous, a bit wary and almost too scared to give it a try. But a lovely message about the importance of friendship and support emerges as she’s helped by the ever-so-cute Bob the bunny, Fiona the frog and Peggy the sheep, who cheer her on and help instil in JoJo the confidence she needs to succeed – even though things don’t go to plan at first!
It conveys a powerful and inspiring message, and it’s written with a lovely lilt that my son enjoyed listening to immensely. As a young reader he found the sentences, which are composed to rhyme, didn’t quite flow so naturally when he said them out loud, but spoken by an adult they do work beautifully for younger children to listen to.
However, it’s the beautiful illustrations that really bring this wonderful tale to life, with vivid animals and lovely detail on every page which my son took great pleasure in.
Verdict
My son is probably at the upper end of the targeted age group (3–7) but he thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful picture book. After the initial excitement of noting how much JoJo the pony’s rider looked like a much younger version of his mum(!) he devoured the sweet tale of this brave pony and, as he’s at a similar stage in his rookie riding career, he says it has inspired him a lot. I’m sure it will prove an enjoyable read for pony-mad children and parents alike.
View now at amazon.co.uk
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