Jumpy Jack and Googily

by Meg Rosoff

Meet Jumpy Jack, a very nervous snail who is afraid of monsters, and Googily who is a very good friend indeed. Wherever they go, Googily kindly checks high and low just to make sure there are no scary monsters about. But, as every child knows, monsters come in many shapes and sizes. Some are even blue with hairy eyebrows and pointy teeth.

Genres: Picture Books, Monsters, Childrens, Friendship, Storytime, Humor, Fiction

Hardcover

First published April 29, 2008

About the author

Meg Rosoff was born in Boston and had three or four careers in publishing and advertising before she moved to London in 1989, where she lives now with her husband and daughter. Formerly a Young Adult author, Meg has earned numerous prizes including the highest American and British honors for YA fiction: the Michael L. Printz Award and the Carnegie Medal.

Reviews

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture books can be so derivative that it gets dull to open them and read one more. But the reason I keep on reading is that between all of the dull ones, there are gems. This book is original and genuinely funny.

Jumpy Jack, the snail is very afraid of monsters. Everywhere they go Googily has to check to make sure that monsters aren't there. Googily assures Jumpy Jack that it is silly to be so afraid and is amazed at his friends imagination. It gets especially ridiculous when Jumpy Jack imagines a monster in his room who "might be wearing short trousers and a bowler hat."

Children really get the humor here right from the first page. Giggling is guaranteed. Rosoff, who excels at writing humor for children, has outdone herself here. The humor gets broader and broader as the pages go by, but her writing tone remains the same gentle, sensible one which of course just makes the whole thing even more amusing. Blackall's illustrations convey a simple, even barren landscape, and a world of normalcy with unusual touches. Just perfect for the story.

Highly recommended to share with all children. This book is appropriate for ages 4-7.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about how friendship colors perception. I think it moves a little slowly (at least for my read-a-loud tastes) and the overall joke (the snail is afraid of monsters, but he doesn't seem to notice that his friend actually is a monster) is a bit complex. So, maybe this is better for older kids. I read it to my three year old, and he laughed when I did, but I could tell he wasn't sure why he was laughing!

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love the artist's style. Fabulous with the lines, the shapes, and the "whitened" (my own word for "mixing colors with white paint" - not pastel... slightly flattened) colors. The "jokes" though, are a bit tedious after a couple of repeats -- and the final pay-off did not wow me at all.

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost a 4 star book, but, just a smidge too wordy.

Cute story about a snail who is afraid of monsters and keeps having his friend (a monster) check for monsters everywhere they go. Nice illustrations, kids will find it funny.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book. I love how everything that Jumpy Jack describes when talking about monsters that might be different places are things about Googily but he isn't afraid of Googily.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jumpy Jack is an anxious snail. He is afraid of monsters. He asks his best friend, Googily, to check behind trees, in tool sheds, under tables, and under beds for monsters. Each description Jumpy Jack gives is a description of his friend Googily. Finally, Googily admits what he is afraid of and both of them look under the bed.

A fresh look at monsters, and what scares one person doesn't scare another. It is also a book about friendship. The illustrations are minimal on white background, until Googily starts searching high and low for monsters. Recommend this book for ages 4 to 7 years old.

[FloraTzu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute book of a friend willing to help his snail friend with rather severe anxiety about a monster coming after him. I loved the turn at the end where Jack helps Googily instead. It is also funny how snail never seems to realize his best friend is the thing he is thinking he is afraid of...but his friend is actually completely harmless. Different does not always mean scary!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charmer this picture book is. Scores very high on the giggle-meter with my gang. Jumpy Jack is a snail of the most nervous sort. As lovably neurotic anthropomorphizations go, Jack's right up there with Piglet, friend of Pooh. Fortunately, Jumpy Jack has his best friend Googily to put his mind to rest when the monster-worries creep in. Jack fears monsters are lurking at every turn—monsters with big round eyes and sharp teeth and lolling tongues and possibly even creepy bowler hats. Googily—he's the amiable fellow in blue you see there—is a little puzzled by Jack's boogieman complex, but he's always happy to help soothe his pal's fears by taking a peek into the corners Jack's sure are hiding fearsome monsters.

In the end, we find that Googily has a fear of his own—and apparently with better reason than Jumpy Jack! The surprise ending elicited belly laughs from my seven- and two-year-olds.

I really love this sweet and simple picture book. It's fresh and funny, and the art is enchanting, and the text holds up well to numerous re-readings, which is a quality I very much watch for in a young picture book. If I'm going to have to read it aloud five times a day, it's got to be readable.

But beyond that, I appreciate the way the plot plays with the idea that people can create monsters in their minds, terrifying specters composed of stereotypes, while being oblivious to the fact that the generalizations they are throwing around so carelessly might very well include real people they know and love.

[Robin Gaphni · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your kids like monsters (or even if they are afraid of them), here's a book that should make them laugh. Jumpy Jack & Googily by Meg Rosoff and illustrated by Sophie Blackall, has a fresh take on the whole monster thing.

Jumpy Jack is a timid snail with a big fear of monsters. He thinks they're everywhere, and turns to his best friend Googily to check out various situations. He asks Googily to check behind the door, under the table, in the pool. The thing that neither of them seems to realize is that Googily is a monster. Kids will quickly see what the joke is, and will love being in the know as they're laughing at the pair's antics.

Googily is an endearing monster with his pointed fangs, wispy eyebrows and bug eyes. He's also quite dapper in his bowler hat, yellow plaid pants and pointy red shoes, which makes him not very scary. I think one of the best messages in the book comes at the end, when Googily (the monster) admits what he's really afraid of... socks. It just goes to show that everybody has some fears, and what's scary to one person seems downright silly to another.

Here are a couple of other fun monster books to check out: Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberly and The Monster at the End of this Book (Starring Lovable, Furry, Old Grover) by Jon Stone.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't rate a lot of kids books but this one deserves recognition. We love this book for the awesome illustrations (I'm partial to monster Googily's comb-over and unibrow), constant giggles, and the killer BOO! at the very end. My 4 yr olds like the repetition and I appreciate the tender portrayal of how good friends look out for each other, and do their best to allay each others fears no matter how irrational they may be.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just such a cute story. I love the character choices and the way they were illustrated. I love the relationship between the two characters. I love the discussion of fears because we all have them - even snails and monsters.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jumpy Jack the snail is extremely afraid of monsters, but feels better as long as his friend, Googily, checks to make sure there are no blue, nig-eyed, pointy-toothed monsters with wiggly arms, funny hair, and plaid pants (a description that, well, matches Googily himself) waiting to jump out and scare him. But what happens when Googily is afraid of something? And what could he possibly be afraid of, if not monsters?

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love the humor throughout this book! We love that the book shows that everyone is afraid of something - and that it's okay to speak up about what scares us. And it's good to allay other's fears.

[Lumi / Otso · Rating 5 out of 5]

we *love* this book. both kids request it again and again.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story but I think the irony will be lost on preschoolers, while their parents will think it's hilarious.

[Stephanie Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Googily tries to ease Jumpy Jack of his fear of monsters, but Googily has an even sillier secret fear.

[Angelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun story about an unlikely pair of friends and their peculiar fears. Lovely illustrations!

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

SO SO

[Melissa the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the kid who loves contradictory books!

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly story with fun, goofy illustrations. The story has a repetitive element that will appeal to kids who like guessing what will happen next. The last couple pages were the best part--I lol'ed.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found in L4L Volume 2.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids (2, 4, and 6) think this is hilarious that the snail is scared of monsters (when his best friend is a monster) and everything he is afraid of happening, essentially does happen, but the snail doesn't notice because his friend is fulfilling his fears, instead of a monster. (but wait, his friend IS a monster!) and they love that the monster is afraid of socks. It gets requested over and over. This isn't really a Halloween book, particularly, but it could pass as one because it talks about monsters and it could be a good one to read to a child who is afraid of monsters, to make them seem more silly and less scary.

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to give this book 5 stars, not because of my own love of the book but because of my daughters'. My 19 month old especially loves it. She begs for us to read it all the time. We even bought it (cheap on Amazon) after she went through withdrawals when we took it back to the library. The book is cute enough, I guess. It just wouldn't have been one of my top choices had my daughters not loved it so much. It's repetetive and doesn't teach much, but my girls just love it. Also, there's a cute one-liner at the end that gets repeated all through our house.

[Whole And · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet book demonstrating how two friends help each other through their fears.

Jumpy Jack the snail who is seemingly scared of everything, living in the fear of 'what ifs' has Googily check for monsters everywhere! Although Googily seems so secure and confident that there are no monsters anywhere, he thoroughly soothes Jumpy Jack's fears by ensuring the monsters are not there. As it turns out, Jumpy Jack has to return the favour.

A story of friendship and a wonderful demonstration on how to gently handle the monster's in your child's life.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jumpy Jack is afraid of monsters. Ironically, his best friend, Googily, seems to be exactly the type of monster he fears. Googily checks for monsters--described as looking distinctly like himself--everywhere monsters could hide in order to ease his friends mind. The humor is not lost on the young in this book--even the littlest ones laugh at the punch-line. The brilliant silliness, humor and illustrations make this one a winner.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for a "little bit scary" storytime. In this story-- a cute little snail named Jumpy Jack is scared that monsters lurk behind trees, in swimming pools and mailboxes. He has his friend Googily check to make sure monsters aren't going to jump out and scare them. The funny part is that Googily is a sort of scary odd-looking monster That Jumpy Jack doesn't consider a monster. At the end-- what Googily is really scared of is something that will make kids laugh!

[The Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jumpy Jack is a very nervous snail who is constantly afraid that a monster will jump out and scare him. Ironically, he's wandering around with the very monster he fears the most (sharp teeth, scary hair, two fingered, long-footed) who dutifully checks all the places Jumpy Jack thinks a monster might lurk.

Excellent illustrations - both boys laughed uproarious every time we got to the picture of Googily checking under the bed for a monster.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jumpy Jack (a snail) walks with his best friend, Googily. Jumpy Jack is afraid of monsters and continually asks Googily to check behind the trees and around the landscape to make sure no monsters are hiding there. When I've used this for storytime in the past, children are delighted by the fact that Jumpy Jack never notices that Googily is a monster.
Edited to add: used for digital storytime during the pandemic.

[Amy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A monster story for kids who don't want something scary. Jumpy Jack is afraid that there is a monster everywhere but his friend Googily helps him out by looking everywhere for a monster and finding nothing. The funny part to the story is that Googily is a monster but Jumpy Jack doesn't notice because Googily is such a good friend.

[Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting pairing of friends - a monster and a snail. The snail is afraid of everything and the monster being a good friend is always sure to check things out first. Then we find that the monster himself has a fear!

The illustrations in this one also make for a great book experience overall.