All is well in Tadpole’s world until he sees his mother, a frog, jump. Disappointment surges through him--why can’t he jump, too? To make matters worse, during Tadpole’s exploratory glimpses of landlubbers, he encounters a lamb, a rabbit, and a grasshopper, all of whom are star jumpers. As the days go by, the illustrator deftly, inconspicuously morphs Tadpole so that when he has a dramatic encounter with the Big Bad Fish, he finds himself with the right instincts, and the perfect equipment, just in time. The colors in the full-page artwork are radiant and attention-grabbing; the book, with its simple repetitive text, can also be used by new readers. Patience seldom comes easy to the young mind, but Cain shows how waiting to grow up is a natural process. (Picture book. 3-7)
