Jitterbug+Jam

Jitterbug Jam practically begs to be read aloud. It’s a tale to be shared by a storyteller and his audience. It succeeds on its own merits- the illustrations, and even the physical book, take a backseat to the narrative. The illustrations and design of the book are absolutely worth exploring, though. Using a variety of styles, Alexis Deacon creates a vision of a monster world that will suck the reader right in. Deacon’s sketches are focused on his characters, stripped down to their essential elements and then emphasized with clearly delineated lines. Background colors are muted grays, yellows, browns, and greens. The monsters would blend in, too, without the heavy lines that separate them from their surroundings, and their clothes, which pop out with color. The placement of the words and illustrations on each page accentuate the narrative. For example, the illustration on the first page is a small picture of our narrator, Bobo, surrounded by empty space. The first few words, “Nobody believes me”, are in large type just above the boxed illustration, making our child narrator seem smaller and more fearful , something a full page illustration could not have accomplished. Deacon also uses a “comic book” approach that allows him to present a sequence of visual images in an active, three-dimensional way that moves the story along. Speech balloons provide an informal approach to dialogue that will be familiar to those comfortable with a graphic format as well. //Jitterbug Jam// is the story of a little monster hiding from the boy under his bed. It’s the story of a grandpa who really listens to and believes in his grandson (and tells a pretty good story himself). It’s a story about two little brothers who might have more in common than either can imagine. Most interestingly, it’s a hopeful story that ends with a beginning. What kids are going to focus on, though, is the scary-looking Boo-Dad and the yucky looking jitterbug jam, as they follow the rhythm of the story, and, at the end, they’ll be demanding jitterbug jam on toast for lunch.