I made the picture book “Jabari Tries”

Editor: Katie Cunningham, Art Director: Pam Consolazio • From Candlewick Press

Jabari is inventing a machine that will fly all the way across the yard! But making it go from CRASH to WHOOSH will take grit, patience, and maybe even a little help from his sister.

“It’ll be easy. I don’t need any help,” he declares. But it doesn’t work! Jabari is frustrated. Good thing Dad is there for a pep talk and his little sister, Nika, is there to assist, butterfly wings and all. With the endearing father-child dynamic of Jabari Jumps and engaging mixed-media illustrations, Gaia Cornwall’s tale shows that through perseverance and flexibility, an inventive thought can become a brilliant reality.

Pre-order from your favorite indie bookstore here!

Praise For Jabari Tries…

★ “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.” ~Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 

“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. … VERDICT Great storytelling and compelling content should win this book readers of all ages.” ~School Library Journal