Jump! is an aptly titled picture book about animals that jump. The author and illustrator is Scott M. Fischer. The book was published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in 2010. The story has a fun, fast-paced, almost song-like rhythm to it as each animal in sequence is startled by a larger animal-and what does each animal do-it jumps. Though I enjoyed the story, admittedly, it’s the illustrations that really grabbed me. The cover caught my eye right away. I know the old saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover”, but I don’t think that’s true when it comes to picture books since so much of the overall content is illustration, starting with the cover. And there are so many wonderful covers out there. The cover is the first part of a book that you see. Part of a cover’s “job” is to capture your attention and make you want to open the book. This cannot be more true than for picture books. Sorry, I went off the topic. I love the illustrations in Jump!. They’re done in watercolor. That is not unusual, but I never knew watercolors could be so vibrant. When I think about watercolors, I generally picture soft pastels. I admire this author/illustrator’s talent and I think you will too. Children will enjoy the rhythm and the pictures in this story for sure.