Book
Jubal's wish / story by Audrey Wood ; pictures by Don Wood.
Jubal Bullfrog wishes for happiness for his animal friends and finds that sometimes wishes come true in an unexpected way.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780439169646
- ISBN: 043916964X
- Physical Description: 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 29 cm.
- Publisher: New York : Blue Sky Press, c2000.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Wishes > Juvenile fiction.
Frogs > Juvenile fiction.
Animals > Juvenile fiction.
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Headingley Municipal Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headingley Municipal Library | C WOO (Text) | 36440000268684 | Picture Books | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Monthly Selections - #1 December 2000
Ages 4-8. One bright, sunny day, young Jubal Bullfrog invites his friends Gerdy Toad and sailboat captain Dalbert Lizard to share a picnic. But, alas, Gerdy has work to do. And besides, her house is a mess, and her seven toadlets are into everything. "Work, work, work," she grumps, "that's all I ever do." As for Dalbert, he's one morose lizard. "No one wants to sail in an old boat with an old captain," he mourns. Poor Jubal. It's not easy being green. More than anything, he wishes he could do something to make his friends happy. But wishes are funny things, as the bullfrog learns--sometimes they work and sometimes . . . If Audrey Wood's sweet-spirited story of the magical power of friendship is occasionally a bit too sunny, Don Wood's lavish double-page pictures, packed with personality, add a touch of dramatic darkness, humor, and narrative unpredictability that will leave most readers wishing for more. --Michael Cart Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews - BookPage Reviews : BookPage Reviews 2000 October
I can't help but imagine that Jubal is a nickname for Jubilant, because that's exactly what the darling character of Jubal's Wish is - one joyful little guy. The book revolves around his compassionate nature, which leads him to the door of one of life's biggest mysteries and challenges.After a four-year gap in publishing, Don and Audrey Wood are back with a work of love, about love. The opening scene is bedecked with vibrant, undulating rows of flowers complementing not only each other, but also Jubal's happiness. Once again Don Wood soars with the wonder of a child, as he pulls down yet another superlative visual interpretation for wife Audrey's charming story.
After the cheerful opening with Jubal planning a picnic and so happy his "feet barely touch the ground," we find a roaring river threatening to lift the little guy's feet up and away entirely. Jubal is in quite a different frame of mind at this point: He's scared.
A wizard offers him the opportunity to make a wish, telling him that, "Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. You never know how they'll turn out in the end." Until you read the end of the book, that is.
The essence of the story can be summed up with this thought: some of us discover things about our friends along the way, which we can either complain about or take to heart; therein lies the risk of friendship. Jubal's an optimist whose chief aim in life is to do what most of us find hard: Jump out of our own skin long enough to think of others first, even at the cost of rejection. As a result, Jubal's little journey turns into a big one that I wouldn't mind taking myself.
June Odette lives in Oregon with people like Jubal. Copyright 2000 BookPage Reviews
- Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2001 Spring
When a wizard grants a bullfrog a wish, he asks that his friends' complaints be remedied: Gerdy Toad has too much housework and her toadlets misbehave, and Captain Dalbert Lizard misses his seafaring days. Instead, a storm brews--but proves an unexpected conduit for making Jubal's wish come true. The illustrations in overly bright colors on glossy pages overwhelm the thin story. Copyright 2001 Horn Book Guide Reviews - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2000 October #1
The Woods really crank up the wattage for this joy-filled tale of a frog who finds a way to share his bliss. So filled with joie de vivre that his feet barely touch the ground, Jubal invites harried Gerdy Toad, her seven hyperactive toadlets, and DalbertLizard, captain of the shabby old Molly Bee, to share a picnicâbut Gerdy snaps at him, and Dalbert's too consumed with melancholy for the good old days. No sooner does Jubal wish that his friends could be as happy as he than, lo and behold, along comes awizard to grant that wish, though warning that wishes sometimes have surprising ways of working out. The high-intensity illustrations trumpet visual cues to the story's changing moods; luxuriant banks of flowers along the path darken with the skies when Jubal's friends still show no signs of change, and as he himself sinks into gloom the rain begins fallingâso much rain that Jubal suddenly finds himself in danger of being swept away. To the rescue comes Molly Bee, steered by a reinvigorated Dalbert and sailed by smiling Gerdy and her energetic crew. Off they all sail on a grand adventure, beneath clearing skies and a glowing rainbow. Like their classic Napping House (1984) and King Bidgood's in the Bathtub (1985), this is a mesmerizing combination of clever, broadly tongue-in-cheek storytelling and elaborate, stylish art. (Picture book. 6-9) Copyright 2000 Kirkus Reviews - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2000 September #4
Pollyanna hasn't a thing on Jubal as the Woods' (The Napping House) passable story opens, "Once upon a bright and sunny day." This chipper bullfrog, "so happy his feet barely touched the ground," has a picnic to share. But his overworked neighbor, Gerdy Toad, is too busy with her brood of "toadlets," and Dalbert Lizard, a sad, washed-up sea captain, is not in the mood. When a wizard appears to grant Jubal a wish, the hero hopes for happiness for his pals. Alas, not only do they seem more miserable than ever, but black clouds, thunder and lightning darken Jubal's sunny day and his spirits. Luckily the storm precedes Jubal's fulfilled wish and a predictable, happy-ever-after conclusion. The wordy text grows flowery ("A splendid feeling of wonder moved up from his toes to the tip of his nose") and electric, computer-enhanced hues illuminate rather gaudy illustrations, which include several off-putting images of the bug-eyed amphibian and reptilian characters. Ages 3-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2000 October
PreS-Gr 1-It is such a glorious day that Jubal Bullfrog asks Gerdy Toad and Captain Dalbert Lizard to join him on a picnic. However, Gerdy is too busy with her seven scalawag toadlets and "old salt" Dalbert feels too sorry for himself, so Jubal continues alone. When he wishes his friends could be happy, a wizard appears to grant his request but warns him that, when you make wishes, "You never know how they'll turn out in the end." Returning home, he is disappointed to discover that nothing has changed for Gerdy or Dalbert but a storm is brewing on the horizon. The ensuing flood washes Jubal out to sea where he is rescued by Dalbert, who has enlisted Gerdy and her toadlets to serve as crew on his trusty old boat. All agree to embark on a grand adventure and they sail off under a rainbow together. Wish fulfillment at its most basic, this tale moves along briskly with a simple story line and predictable dialogue. The narrative is overwhelmed, though, by the oversized computer-assisted illustrations; blue skies and bluer water fill each double-page spread and the very realistic amphibians and reptiles are dramatically, if statically, posed. Jubal is appealing enough, particularly when he cries huge, ploppy computer-generated tears, but his total disregard for the rising floodwaters strains credulity as does his serendipitous rescue. While perfectly designed for group sharing, young listeners might make a wish of their own for a more engrossing adventure.-Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.