WE LEAP TOGETHER

Parallel mother-and-child stories unite whales and humans.

While similarities between these marine mammals and people may not be immediately apparent, Neal invites readers to consider how alike we are, placing scenes of a mother whale and calf on the verso of each spread and a tan-skinned human mother and child on the recto. “We move side by side. Mama always stays close,” reads the text as the cetacean pair swim close together and the people walk hand in hand through an urban environment (details establish the setting as New York City). This initial, straightforward juxtaposition leads to more inventive, delightful ones, beginning with, “We pass long columns.” Here, a low visual perspective shows the calf gazing at beams of light, while on the other side of the spread, the child looks up at skyscrapers. Pleasing connections between whales and humans continue, with schools of fish likened to crowds of people, the whales breaking the water’s surface compared to the humans emerging from an underground subway stop, and so on. At book’s end, the people go whale-watching, and the title’s meaning is brought to life as they jump for joy on the ship’s deck while the animals leap from the water, the illustration now a cohesive, full-bleed double-spread. Neal’s inspired composition and concise, child-friendly text pair together seamlessly, while simple backmatter illuminates whale behavior, encouraging readers to empathize with these intelligent, social, endangered creatures.

Readers should leap at the chance to acquire this winning tale.