Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Advertisement
    • Contact Us
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Advertise With Us
    • Home
      • COVID-19 Resource Center
        • Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PSA Radio
      • Featured
    • News
      • State
      • Local
      • National/International News
      • Global
      • Business
        • Commentary
        • Finance
        • Local Business
      • Investigative Stories
        • Affordable Housing
        • DCS Investigation
        • Gentrification
    • Editorial
      • National Politics
      • Local News
      • Local Editorial
      • Political Editorial
      • Editorial Cartoons
      • Cycle of Shame
    • Community
      • History
      • Tennessee
        • Chattanooga
        • Clarksville
        • Knoxville
        • Memphis
      • Public Notices
      • Women
        • Let’s Talk with Ms. June
    • Education
      • College
        • American Baptist College
        • Belmont University
        • Fisk
        • HBCU
        • Meharry
        • MTSU
        • University of Tennessee
        • TSU
        • Vanderbilt
      • Elementary
      • High School
    • Lifestyle
      • Art
      • Auto
      • Tribune Travel
      • Entertainment
        • 5 Questions With
        • Books
        • Events
        • Film Review
        • Local Entertainment
      • Family
      • Food
        • Drinks
      • Health & Wellness
      • Home & Garden
      • Featured Books
    • Religion
      • National Religion
      • Local Religion
      • Obituaries
        • National Obituaries
        • Local Obituaries
      • Faith Commentary
    • Sports
      • MLB
        • Sounds
      • NBA
      • NCAA
      • NFL
        • Predators
        • Titans
      • NHL
      • Other Sports
      • Golf
      • Professional Sports
      • Sports Commentary
      • Metro Sports
    • Media
      • Video
      • Photo Galleries
      • Take 10
      • Trending With The Tribune
    • Classified
    • Obituaries
      • Local Obituaries
      • National Obituaries
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Books

    ‘Jabari Jumps’ by Gaia Cornwall

    Terri SchlichenmeyerBy Terri SchlichenmeyerJune 29, 2017Updated:July 6, 2017No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    c.2017, Candlewick Press, $15.99, 32 pages
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    You can do it.

    Yes, you can. You just need to take a deep breath and then blow it out. Find the courage inside yourself. Think of something else and do it. Don’t be scared. As you’ll see in “Jabari Jumps” by Gaia Cornwall, good things come to those who get brave and take the leap. Jabari loved to swim.

    He was really good at it, too. He’d gone to all his swimming lessons and he passed every test. He was so good at swimming that he was ready to jump off the diving board. He even told his dad about it. The diving board was “high and maybe a little scary…”  There were a lot of rungs to climb to get to the top – Jabari could tell that from the side of the pool. Other kids on top of the diving board looked tiny from below as they sprang up and splashed down into the water. It was a long, long way to dive, but Jabari thought it looked like fun – and besides, he was a “great jumper.”

    As he stood by the ladder, he looked up. Way up. Then he turned around and looked at the other kids in line. They’d been standing there awhile; maybe they should go first. In fact, maybe a “tiny rest” was a good idea before tackling such a huge thing. And oh, Jabari forgot to do his stretches before swimming – that’s very important. Maybe tomorrow would be better for diving off the board.

    Advertisement

    But then Daddy said something that Jabari never thought about. Daddy knew exactly what Jabari was thinking, and he had some helpful advice. There were many ways to dive off a board and into a pool. You can jump feet-first or with your arms above your head, backwards or forwards, straight or flipping head over feet, but there was only one way to get to the top to do it. And so Jabari did…

    More than three out of five Americans don’t know how to swim. In the African American community, that number is considerably higher. “Jabari Jumps” may help fix that. It’s okay to love swimming, according to author Gaia Cornwall’s energetic little main character. It’s okay to get all wet and take swim lessons. It’s actually fun, and Cornwall’s illustrations make it seem so. But, as your child will see, it’s also okay to be scared of doing something you’ve never done before. In this, Cornwall makes it clear to even the smallest youngster that Jabari’s faux-bravery is wavering even as he brags about his big plans in the pool. There’s plenty of reassurance here, though; Jabari’s father is a great supporting character, understanding and calm with no belittling.

    In the end, well, I’m sure you know where this book goes. Kids might, too, and it’s a joyous finale that will leave young readers with a smile and maybe an urge to learn to swim. If that’s what you want to foster in your child, then give him “Jabari Jumps.” Do it.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Terri Schlichenmeyer

    Related Posts

    Book Review: “The Battle for the Black Mind” by Karida L. Brown

    May 28, 2025

    Books about Integration, Schools & HBCUs by various authors

    March 8, 2025

    “Qualified: How Competency Checking and Race Collide at Work” by Shari Dunn

    February 24, 2025

    “Fearless and Free: A Memoir” by Josephine Baker, translated by Anam Zafar and Sophie Lewis, foreword by Ijeoma Oluo

    February 9, 2025

    Black History Month books for Kids by various authors and illustrators

    February 1, 2025

    Slavery after Slavery Book review

    January 20, 2025

    Comments are closed.

    Business

    Charlotte Knight Griffin Takes Office as TBA President-Elect

    June 30, 2025

    EXCLUSIVE OP-ED: President Joe Biden Commemorating Juneteenth

    June 19, 2025

    FUNdraising Good Times Report from Neighborhoods USA Conference in Jacksonville

    June 4, 2025
    1 2 3 … 384 Next
    Education
    Education

    Austin Peay’s MPH program receives $27K for childhood literacy initiative. Community LIFT Project to be implemented at Head Start centers this fall

    By Ethan SteinquestJune 30, 2025

    CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s Master of Public Health program is on a…

    TSU, State, reach agreement to reallocate $96M to school

    June 26, 2025

    TSU student lands prestigious internship at Harvard Medical School

    June 25, 2025

    FAMU stakeholders file lawsuit to prevent Marva Johnson’s confirmation as the university’s 13th President

    June 21, 2025
    The Tennessee Tribune
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Store
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact
    © 2025 The Tennessee Tribune - Site Designed by No Regret Media.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Our Spring Sale Has Started

    You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/