I would consider this book an average book two reasons. This picture book introduces the concept of movement for toddlers. Each image of a movement has a description that includes very few words, so the language is hard to judge. The illustrations are pretty plain and uninteresting to look at as they include minimal color. Overall, this book is boring. ( )

Cute and simple book about a boy doing gymnastics with his fellow toddlers. The illustrations are warm and light, but inviting nonetheless. ( )

I liked this book but it was not my favorite. Throughout the book, one of Jake’s friends (name was not said,) explained what Jake does during gymnastics. I liked that the text was very simple and easy to understand but I didn’t like that it was not very engaging. I found myself getting bored at times. The text on each page was also very concise and predictable. For example, “Jake swings high on the rope.” Jake also likes to hang on the parallel bar, jump on the trampoline, swing high on the rope, etc. While reading the book, I was never super excited to flip the page in order to see what was going to happen next. I did, however, enjoy the illustrations. They were drawn in pencil. Certain aspects of the picture were in color. This made it easy to focus on the important elements of each illustration. For example, Jake’s shirt was colored in green. I believe the message of the book was, “Boys and girls and can do anything they want.” So many people associate gymnastics as being a female sport when that is not the case. Overall, a decent read but not my favorite. ( )

Jake succeeds at all of his gymnastic goals by perseverance.

Ages: 4-7

Pierce County Library

EducatingParents.org rating: Approved

Bilingual book. English and Spanish.