JAZZY IN THE JUNGLE

A mother lemur searches for her baby among the flora and fauna of the jungle. Mama JoJo and her Baby Jazzy play a rambunctious game of hide and seek. Mama’s calls for her playful offspring are answered by a dazzling array of jungle critters secreted behind the leaves and flowers of the dense habitat. Readers encounter critters across the biological board: the reptilian lizard and snake mingle in the same habitat as a wee humming bird, an awkward anteater, a hairy caterpillar, and more. Mama’s search leads her into the heart of the forest, past “big boo” trees and “fliff fluff” flowers. Ultimately mother and child are reunited—with a little help from the jungle animals. Cousins’s die-cut illustrations, rendered in a rainbow of tropical hues, provide clues to discovering the undercover lemur. Several pages of illustrations cut out in a variety of outlines are bracketed by two full pages, with the interior pages forming a layered effect that encourages readers to explore the depths of the jungle in search of Jazzy. A series of peeping eyeballs, which can be spied peering through the pages at various points, also serve to lead readers down this merry path of seek and find. Vividly colorful and delightful fun, this is Cousins doing what she does best: entertaining the youngest of readers with panache. (Picture book. 2-5)