Description: A sweet and thrilling story of a dog and a child who recognize each other at first sight. Joy, a little child, has loved dogs for as long as she can remember. Jump, a little puppy, has loved people for as long as he can remember. Looks or breed didn't matter to either of them — they simply waited, happily, for the dog that would be theirs and the person that would be theirs. As the waiting stretched on, Joy made a puppy out of flowers, and Jump made a child out of leaves. They even gave their creations matching names. But the flowers and leaves withered and crumbled to the ground. In summer, they tried shells and sand; in autumn, twigs and mud; in winter, pure white snow — season after season, they made new dogs and new people, only to watch them scatter, crumble, or disappear. After a long stretch of disappointment, Joy and Jump each head outside to play as spring returns, and they spot flowers and leaves growing lush once more. Overjoyed, they each call out, at the top of their voices, the very names they once gave their creations. And that's the moment — hearing each other's voices, Joy and Jump turn around and finally see one another. In an instant, they both know: this is my dog, this is my person. "It didn't matter if the dog was big or small, spotted or curly-haired — none of that mattered at all. I knew that the moment I saw my dog, I'd recognize him right away." — from the story A delightful story built on parallel structure, and artwork you'll want to revisit again and again What makes Jump and Joy so compelling — beyond its simple yet sturdy storytelling — are the artistic devices carefully tailored to its two main characters. Open the book, and the first thing you'll notice is how strikingly different Jump and Joy look from everything around them. Set against richly patterned, detailed black-and-white backgrounds, the two main characters stand out in loose, rough-edged, sepia-toned energy, moving freely across every scene. This acts like a spotlight, keeping our eyes fixed on the pair even amid all the busy detail around them, while also bringing their ever-changing emotions, movements, and endearing charm vividly to life. The clever use of parallel structure throughout the book is especially effective in showing how Jump and Joy, each unaware of the other's existence, spend their days with the very same longing. Their strikingly similar actions are shown side by side across the book's gutter, echoing one another as the seasons pass and their feelings grow more and more intense. Then, near the end, the moment Jump and Joy turn and finally recognize each other, all that built-up longing bursts into pure delight — and readers who've followed along feel that joy just as powerfully. While the story's heart lies in searching for and waiting for each other, Jump and Joy delivers fresh visual surprises on every page. Combining etching — a printmaking technique — with ink, paint, collage, and more, the book creates a wholly original world that makes you want to come back to it again and again. A picture book about the pure joy, laughter, and leaping of Jump and Joy, who are simply overjoyed to have found each other As Jump and Joy each spent season after season in their own corners of the world, one thought never wavered: I will know you the moment I see you. It's the certainty that no matter how many dogs or how many people there are in the world, you'll know which one is yours. This is, in fact, a feeling shared universally by countless people who adopt and love companion animals — people who say they knew at first sight, or who had to walk away for one reason or another but couldn't stop thinking about that one animal, and eventually came back to make them family. Just like the bond between us and our companion animals, Jump and Joy's joyful leaping — with no conditions, no expectations, just pure happiness at having found each other — is a delight to watch. For anyone waiting for their own special companion...