Jabari Tries

August 1, 2020

Gr 2-4-Fresh after getting up the courage to jump off the diving board, Jabari starts a new project: building a flying machine. It's frustrating work, and Jabari gets angry when his little contraption crashes to the ground. With advice from his dad and help from his younger sister, Jabari gets his anger under control and refines his experiment until it soars. With an added dash of teamwork and perseverance, Cornwall successfully combines two current topics, engineering and mindful breathing, into one story. Cornwall uses metaphor to explain Jabari's internal feelings and the text flips and curls around the pages when the flying machine takes to the air. Illustrations support the text, but one outstanding spread shows readers how Jabari is inspired by BIPOC engineers, inventors, and scientists of the past. Jabari's sister, Nika, wears a different outfit on every page; it's fun to identify her cute costumes, but also confounding as to how she changes so quickly with neither her brother nor her father remarking upon it. By the time she's wearing a head-to-toe spacesuit on the final page, readers will wonder if she'll be the star of Cornwall's next book-either as an astronaut, fashion designer, or magician. VERDICT Great storytelling and compelling content should win this book readers of all ages.-Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 15, 2020
Jabari works hard to build a gizmo that flies, but his best modification may be inspired by his partner. When Jabari announces his machine will fly "all the way across" their spacious, landscaped yard, he is certain he won't need any help. While his father gardens and his younger sister plays, Jabari builds a launch ramp, sends his machine through, and...crash! Little Nika wants in on the fun, but Jabari is "concentrating." He takes inspiration from inventors and engineers, who use creativity and hard work to solve their problems. He plans, sketches, builds, and tries and tries again. He lets Nika help out, reluctantly at first, and when he gets so frustrated he wants to cry, he takes his father's advice: gathering his patience and blowing away his "muddy feelings." When he tries once more, with a clear head and support from his pint-sized partner, he discovers a change that makes his machine--and his confidence--soar. This generously sized picture book offers a lovely picture of mentorship and healthy relationships in the context of a thriving Black family with dark skin tones. Jabari's emotional ups and downs will be familiar to young children, and his hard-won success feels triumphant. Cornwall's clean, clear illustrations use patterns, green hues, and white space to deliver a variety of effective scenes. Jabari succeeds, and so does this book. (Picture book. 3-9)

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