Early Book Review: Trampoline Boy by Nan Forler, Marion Arbona

Trampoline Boy is a picturebook written by Nan Forler and illustrated by Marion Arbona. It is currently scheduled for release on March 6 2018. In this story readers see the world through the eyes of a character we only know as Trampoline Boy. His favorite thing to do is jump up and down, up and down on his trampoline. Kids walk by and tease him, but he remains steadfast and calm. One day, a quietly exuberant girl, Peaches, is fascinated by his jumping. Trampoline Boy wordlessly invites her to jump with him, and by spending this time with him, Peaches and readers get to see how important and valuable different perspectives are.

Trampoline Boy is a sweet and visually lovely, picturebook. The images are stylized, and brightly colored. The main character is a boy fully engaged in his favorite activity and ignoring those that mock him for being different. Peaches watches him, fascinated by his jumping, and how much he loves it. She wants to see, to understand, and he is willing to share. I love the story, because it is about doing what you love. However, it is also about not just being willing to explore someone else's perspective, but being excited about it. It is also about being willing to share that view. Reaching out a hand to those others might exclude or mock, and taking the time to know and understand is so important and something we all need to take the time to do. What a sweet and inspiring story, that is also a lovely read both visually in in the lyric text.