The Giant Jumperee

Short, sweet and raises a smile

There's something scary in Rabbit's burrow! Rabbit is scared, Cat is scared, so is Bear and even Elephant. What horrors are hiding in the dark?

Fear not, it may not be as terrifying as it sounds...

A lesson in not being afraid, this is a very short picture book from two talents in children's picture book writing and illustrating.

It's a combination I've never thought of together but they have combined their respective abilities beautifully here. Donaldson abandons her eloquent rhyme for prose, but uses a classical technique of repetition and escalation (the animals get bigger, and each gets scared, the threat feels bigger...) and Oxenbury's watercolour style and realistic animals are as lovely to look at as always.

In writing this, I've found that Donaldson wrote this back in 2000, and it was illustrated by another artist. It's not one I have heard of before and I think Oxenbury will elevate it and help it become better known, just as Donaldson's now household name will.

It has the look of an 'already classic' and will be one that small children and their parents are soon able to repeat off by heart.

Fear not, little ones. Mummy and Daddy will keep you safe.

Charming book, a lovely gift for a new parent or young family. Soon to be a new favourite.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

When rabbit cannot get back in to his burrow because of a voice saying he is the "Giant Jumparee", who is going to be brave enough to challenge the interloper. This is another beautifully crafted work by Julia Donaldson; this time with some charming illustrations by the legend that is Helen Oxenbury. The twist at the end is going to totally thrill the audience. This is going on to my list of favourites to read out in School.

Just what you expect from Julie Donaldson, a lovely gentle engaging story with humour that young children love. My grandson loved this when we shared it and I loved it too.

Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.

This is a typical Julia Donaldson, and that's a good thing. The story is short, well written and with a twist that the kids love! There's no Axel Scheffler and there's less rhyming than her other books, but the story is sweet with enough characters to keep the reader busy voicing them all!

My grandchildren love the gruffalo and room on a broom so I was excited to receive a copy of The Giant Jumparee from netgallery. This book did not disappoint a well written story by Julia Donaldson and beautiful illustrations by Helen Oxenbury.
This is a beautiful story of Rabbit and his friends who do not want to go near Rabbits burrow because the giant jumperee is in residence. The story gently unfolds with a beautiful ending.
I read it to my grandchildren and school pupils who all wanted to hear it again.
This is definitely a book I'm going to purchase and can see it becoming a family favourite.

Another smashing book from Julia Donaldson. I read this with my son who has loved all that came before it and he was sucked into the story straight away. Beautiful illustration which really complimented the story. Would definitely recommend!

Loved this book!! The images were just excellent and the story was brilliant too - definitely one to keep!

Fab book! One of my favourite kids' authors anyway but my six year-old really loved this one. When I saw that Oxenbury had teamed up with Donaldson, I felt sure we would be in for a treat and I was right!
One thing that DID surprise me (in a good way) was that the usual rhyming story which Donaldson is famous for, wasn't in this book. The story is told through a poetic prose and really makes for a wonderful journey through the story.

A definite thumbs up from both me and my daughter!

My little one loved this book. So much so, I had to read it twice in a row!! And then everyday since. Another spectacular read from Julia Donaldson

This is so sweet! Anything by Julia Donaldson is likely to be a hit, and this doesn't disappoint. The illustrations are beautiful and it is a story you can come back to again and again.
Highly recommended for little kids and the big kids (adults) who will probably be doing the reading x

The Giant Jumperee is an enjoyable children's book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury.

Within thirty-two pages, this book focuses on Rabbit and his animal friends as they are each scared away from Rabbit's burrow by a mysterious voice hidden inside. And the ending is a delightful surprise!

The Giant Jumperee is an easy-to-read picture book with adorable illustrations. It's geared toward young children, particularly ages three to five.


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

As ever, Julia Donaldson has delivered another lovely story to share with young children. I read this to my children (aged 7 and 4), and both agreed it made a brilliant bedtime story. They especially liked the rhymes, and working out who the Giant Jumperee might be! Donaldson's characters are beautifully drawn by Helen Oxenbury, and the combination of story and pictures makes this a memorable book. I highly recommend it!

When author Julia Donaldson of the awesome 'Gruffalo' (among others!) fame, and Helen Oxenbury, creator of some of my favourite children's books of all time ('We're Going on a Bear Hunt' - need I say more!) team up, you know it's going to be a winner!
Throughout my own childhood, then as a primary school teacher and parent, picture books have been a staple part of my life.
'The Giant Jumperee' has all the essentials for success; repetitive language and rhyme that can be remembered and sung along too at the many re-readings; beautiful illustrations in bright colours; the delicious fear factor of the mysterious voice in the burrow; fun animal characters that all get along - and at the end a mum who isn't scared of anything(!), and a child who goes home for tea!
What delightful fantasy! Count me in!
4 out of 5 stars.

This has to be a winner with the combination of Donaldson and Oxenbury. With the magic formula of the Gruffalo, imagination is always heightened when fear strikes the animals in turn. . All Rabbit's friends are willing to help, but all are afraid. Only the small frog is brave enough to call the bluff of the Giant Jumperee, and needless to say all is resolved happily. Children will love this as much as the Gruffalo and will have great fun imagining what the Giant Jumperee looks like.

A picture book to read to the very young, but any older and they'd guess what it was all about, as I did, as soon as an unblurbed-about character arrives. Still, before then it's pleasant enough to read, and lovely illustrations pass the test with flying colours. It does seem a little on the slight side to become a classic, however.

Great title but not entirely appropriate for my classroom.

Lovely picture book.. Small cast of just 6 animals wonderfully illustrated by Helen Oxenbury.

The Giant Jumperee is a beautiful picture book with a simple story supported by wonderful images of its cast of 6 animals.
The story shows animals of increasing sizes, each with characteristics its pre-school target audience will recognise, in fear of the unseen creature which is claiming to be a giant Jumperee. Like Aesop’s lion and mouse or hare and tortoise, there is a realisation that every creature, no matter what its size, has its own strengths. Also, much as in Julia Donaldson’s own Gruffalo, there is a sense that fear of the unknown can be out of proportion with what the unknown actually is!
This book doesn’t draw on Julia’s often-seen rhyming talents, but that in no way stops it from being a great read-aloud book which children will be joining in with after a few readings. And Helen Oxenbury's lovely illustrations are captivating.

I think I would recommend the Giant Jumperee to younger children, mainly under fives, because it is rather gentler and more old-fashioned than much of Donaldson's other work. I adore the Gruffalo but it is possibly a bit too exciting and scary for some toddlers. I've learnt, from experience, that it is not an ideal book to read at bedtime (especially not with the voices and everything) as it isn't particularly soothing. This book has a similar storyline to the Gruffalo - many large animals are scared by the words of a much smaller one - and, to the possible relief of storytellers everywhere, it is a much shorter story. Even with all the voices and the obligatory six repetitions, you should be able to get away with about a 15 minute bedtime routine with this one.*


*Unless the child involved wants a second story/a glass of water/needs to know where the moon comes from/to hear what that word was that Daddy said when he dropped that cake on the floor/to have a baby brother and/or puppy, now. You know the drill...

Who doesn't love Julia's books? - The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom are huge bedtime favourite for my kids and The Giant Jumperee is quickly being added to that list!

The story follows Rabbit who upon hearing a mysterious voice coming from his burrow enlists his other animal friends - Cat, Bear & Elephant, to get the Giant Jumperee out of the burrow. They are all scared of the mysterious voice in the burrow until Mrs Frog comes along and proves that there is nothing to be scared of at all.

I love the illustrations in this book and true to Julia's format the words are repetitive and engaging that kids will love this story just as much as the others she has written.

I'm excited to use this book with my struggling readers!

A new book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury - that's exciting new for any lovers of picture books and I was thrilled to read it. As it brings together these two giant of children's literature I expected the book to be a real treat and I'm very happy to say that indeed it is. It's a gentle story with a thrill of fear of the unknown running through it - what is the Jumperee that is hiding in Rabbit's hole and is it really 'taller than a tree' as one of it's rhyming speeches says? I loved the humour in the illustrations, especially the image of poor Elephant trying to hide his considerable bulk behind a rather too scanty tree. The story ending when the fearsome creature they are all imagining turns out to be Baby Frog is delightfully funny, Mummy Frog knew it was her baby all along! Destined to become a much loved addition to the bookshelves of young children (and young at heart adults!) everywhere.

This lovely book is the latest children's book from author of the famous Gruffalo children's book and illustrator of famous children's book from my younger days, We're Going On A Bear Hunt. Quite a team!

The story is short and beautifully crafted with simple language for children but enough mystery at who the Giant Jumperee is to keep them wanting you to read on!

The drawings are gorgeous and simply show the best work of Helen's talents encouraging children to ask and learn about the animals involved in the story.

As a huge animal fan myself, owning a rabbit, having a frog who lives in our garden, cat's roaming in our street and a love of elephants, personally the drawings were great for me too as the characters are a mix of them plus a bear!

I'm sure any child who loves animals will fall in love with this book and remember it fondly for years too come.

This book was sent to me for review from the publishers and I'm so happy and sure any young child would love this book!

Another lovely story by Julia Donaldson. The language was pitched perfectly for young readers and the illustrations were lovely as you would expect from Helen Oxenbury. My 3-year old absolutely loved it!

Julia Donaldson and Helen Oxenbury make such a wonderful pairing! I was so excited when I was approved by Netgalley to review this book because I am a massive fan of both Donaldson (The Gruffalo) and Oxenbury (illustrator of We're Going on a Bear Hunt).

This story will be such a lovely addition to your Little Library. It is a beautiful read-aloud tale about a "scary" Jumperee hiding in a rabbit's burrow. When Rabbit, Cat, Bear and Elephant all fail to get the Jumperee to come out, they turn to who they think means business: Mummy Frog! But who is it hiding in the burrow?! Children will be so excited to find out.

I love Donaldson's work. Her stories are so much fun to read aloud and her rhyming schemes are just magical! When you combine this with Oxenbury's stunning illustrations, you have a truly wonderful reading experience to share with your tiny human. I would wholeheartedly recommend this lovely little book.

This newly published picture book from highly popular author Julia Donaldson introduces a cast of animal characters who are all in fear of a scary creature none of them has actually seen. The story begins when Rabbit returns home to hear a loud voice coming from inside his burrow and announcing that it is the ‘giant jumperee’. Rabbit’s calls for help bring a series of other animals along, each with its own plan to challenge and overcome the mysterious jumperee, but they are all very quickly frightened off by its threats. When the identity of the scary creature is finally revealed, children will be amused to find it is just a baby frog and that it comes out as soon as its mother tells it that it’s time for tea! With strong similarities to ‘The Gruffalo’ in setting and theme, the story is enhanced by plenty of repetition and an occasional rhyme pattern whereby many of the line endings (from ‘I’ll squash you like a flea’ and ‘I’m as tall as a tree’ to ‘I’m counting up to three’) rhyme with the ‘I’m the giant jumperee’ refrain. The story could provide a gentle way to talk about fear, especially of the unknown, but most of all it is simply a fun book to share and to read aloud.

A beautifully illustrated and written book which will capture the imagination of children everywhere.
This is ideal for bedtime reading or storytime as a family.
In a school, this would be a great stimulus for drama with children using different expressions as they move through the story, a prompt for art so children could create their own jumperees by imagining what's speaking to each of the animals, it would also be fantastic for introducing and exploring new vocabulary as children describe the jumperee before and after the reveal.

A charming book which is sure to be a success.

A lovely story that's easy to follow for preschoolers. Mummy frog is a perfect mummy character counting to three with my son joining in. He found the ending really funny. The story itself introduced a range of animals to talk about and was short and snappy enough to keep him interested.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy of this beautiful picture book by the author of The Gruffalo. I can imagine it becoming a favourite bedtime story, pulled off the shelf time and time again. The children will love interacting as each page is read out loud to them and I can already imagine all sorts of 'must have' merchandise featuring the wonderful artwork. I will definately add this to the list of books I buy for the children in the family as I can see it being really treasured by everyone. It is simply an adorable read.

Julia Donaldson has done it again. Another beautifully drawn, gently funny story which will capture the imagination of children and the adults who share the book with them. This is sure to join her other books as favourites on the bookshelf.

I'm not sure that there is a parent or child in the world that doesn't love at least one Julia Donaldson book. I have six year old twins and her books are often read at bedtime in my house, The Highway Rat being the favourite. Another favourite book is We're Going On a Bear Hunt which is illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. So when I saw that The Giant Jumperee was written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury I knew that I had to read this book to my children.

We read it on my paperwhite kindle which worked fine but I'm sure that we didn't get to fully appreciate the wonderful drawings. My children didn't seem in the least bit bothered as they snuggled close to get a look at the pictures, there were lots of giggles as we read and a few squeals of excitement as they tried to work out what the jumperee might be.

The book is short, it is a very quick read and I think aimed at the younger end of Julia Donaldson fans. My children were probably at the upper end of the target audience and I think that it would be perfect for those who were not quite ready for the scary Gruffalo. It would also be a good book for a young reader to read to an adult.

Overall, this is a wonderful book that I'm sure will be very popular with young children and their parents.

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Random House, for the opportunity to read The Giant Jumperee.

A lovely book, whose charm lies in the gentle repetition of a single idea - a disembodied voice that scares each animal in turn who thinks they are brave enough to tackle it. It plays into every child's fears of the unknown, but in a safe, protective place drawn with immense skill and child-friendliness by the wonderful illustrations of Helen Oxenbury, and of course has a down to earth happy ending with a subtle moral and a smile. Even without colour on my Kindle, this is an enchanting journey into suspense and vicarious concern that reinforces the safety of the family and ordinary good sense. Charming.

I decided (No idea why! Maybe I thought I would be easy to do this. We shall see...) to put these two books together in one review! Both are picture books (which is rare for me to talk about on my blog, I know!) and both are perfect to be read by parents to their little ones and together when the child is older.

The first is The Fox Wish by Kimiko Aman and illustrated by Komako Sakai (given by the publisher), and the second is The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (given to me by the publisher via NetGalley).

In The Fox Wish, we follow a sister and brother who go back to the park to find their jump rope. Only to find a group of fox cubs playing with it and believing it to be the answer to their wish. And in The Giant Jumperee, Rabbit comes home to find a loud voice in his burrow. When his friends (Cat, Bear and Elephant) come to help, they each get scared by the loud voice. But who is the Giant Jumperee?

Both, in my opinion, are wonderful stories to read to little ones, each with a gentle charm to them.

While both do have a charm, there is something on each you need to be aware. While picture books are often glossy in their illustrations, The Fox Wish doesn't have that. It's more ink-stamped and watery in tone compared to other picture books and, with The Giant Jumperee, there were moments when reading it felt a little too close to The Gruffalo in tone (yes, I know both are written by the same author but if your child knows The Gruffalo, they might spot how similar they are. Plus, nothing Julia writes really beats the Gruffalo. Although, What the Ladybird Heard does come close...)

But barring this, both are lovely reads to read to your little ones at bedtime...

I've come to expect a very high standard from Julia Donaldson, and this doesn't disappoint. The illustrations are magical and the beautiful timing of the rhyme/poem is a joy to read out loud. if there was any small criticism it would only be that this book didn't seem as long as many of her other works, but that may be a good thing for younger readers. All of my four children 1, 3, 6, and 7 enjoyed the story, and the older two guessed who the Giant Jumperee might be - and enjoyed sharing the surprise. I would certainly buy this as a lovely gift, and know it will be enjoyed in our house over and over again.

It's always great to read a picture book that has a bit of a mystery within that children can enjoy trying to solve. Our kids thoroughly enjoyed trying to guess the identity of the Giant Jumperee, and they thought it was hilarious when the mystery animal's identity was revealed. I'm sure that most adults would have been able to make a decent guess, but for smaller children this is exactly the sort of thing that can come as a huge shock to them, and make a book all the more memorable.

Though it always feels a little strange not to see Axel Scheffler illustrating a Julia Donaldson book (and there are loads of other illustrators that she's worked with so it shouldn't feel that strange, really), Helen Oxenbury's illustrations are delightful and perfectly suited to the story. She brings a fantastic feeling of warmth to accompany the text, mixing the detailed characters in the foreground with the simple but highly effective landscapes in the background.

People are always going to be excited by a new release from Julia Donaldson - having read it, I'm certain they're going to love this one!

I was delighted to be able to review a copy of this book through Net Gallery.

'Rabbit arrives home one day to hear a loud voice coming from inside his burrow:
"I'm the Giant Jumperee and I'm scary as can be!" shouts the stranger.
Rabbit's friends Cat, Bear, and Elephant come to help, but they're no match for the mysterious, booming voice. But who is the Giant Jumperee? Find out in this new read-aloud classic from internationally bestselling author Julia Donaldson, beautifully brought to life by award-winning illustrator Helen Oxenbury.'

At first, I thought that receiving an ebook copy of a picture book would completely spoil the story. I was mistaken. Although it was more tricky reading a book to a child from a phone app, my son Elliot was straight away caught up with the story and loved zooming in on the pictures to see the details. I can’t wait for him to have a physical copy of the book. The story is very catchy and there were part that were repetitive, which enabled Elliot to join in as he picked up the words. Down in a burrow, is a stranger that is not letting rabbit back into his burrow. Who is the stranger? Who is the Giant Jumperee? Elliot loved all the animals trying to help. He kept saying 'Ribbit help' when Mummy Frog comes along to help Rabbit get his burrow back.

‘I’m the Giant Jumperee and I’ll squash you like a flea.’

We both loved the ending to this book, Elliot found it hilarious. He loved Mummy Frog counting down, ‘One…two…THREE,’ and joined in with this each time.

We have spent the rest of the morning searching for rabbit burrows in the woods, with Elliot calling down the hole for the scary Giant Jumperee. 'Jumperee' was a tricky word at first for a two year old to master but he became more confident. There is a video on my blog of Elliot looking for the Jumperee!

I can see endless possibilities for this book to be used in the classroom for both literacy and artwork. It would make a great book for inspiring imagination. Who could be down the hole?

An absolute winner of a book from Julia Donaldson. As a parent, it was a delight to read, a great length for a bedtime story and we just cant wait to get our hands on a copy for Elliot to have in his room.

I was given this as an arc on netgalley for an honest review. when I saw this on netgalley I knew I had to read it as my 3 year old daughter absolutely loves all Julia's other books including the gruffalo so I knew she would love this one just as much. the story is nice and short so kept her attention and also the twist at the end was brilliant. the story doesn't rhyme as much as her other books but this doesn't take away anything from the story. the artwork is also nice and my daughter loved looking at them. this is going to be a new favourite for bed time reading and everyone who loves Julia's other books will love this one as well.

I love this book! Has similarities to 'The Gruffalo' which I love, so it feels familiar when reading it which is nice.


This book has a lot of potential for teaching in the classroom. It has lots of exciting adjectives so as a teacher, I could see it being used to teach children about adjectives. In addition to this is has rhyming words so can be used as a text for children to identify rhyme.

With regards to the actual story- it is a heartwarming, funny and friendly little book. I love the name 'Giant Jumperee' and the fact that you can't see what the creature is- it keeps the children in suspense while they wait to find out what creature the jumperee is. It takes a brave 'mummy frog' to discover who it is- showing that being big doesn't always mean you're going to be brave. I can't wait to add this to my Donaldson collection! Will post review onto Goodreads and amazon.

My daughters are huge fans of The Gruffalo, and while they may be too big for The Giant Jumperee I jumped at the chance to read this with them.

My youngest (at 8 years old) likes to pretend that she's too big to read with mum anymore but she loved reading this with me, its been quite some time since we found a book we could enjoy together, infact the last books we did enjoy together were The Gruffalo and We're going on a Bear Hunt, and here we have the best of both books in this one, written by the author of The Gruffalo and illustrated by the same person who illustrated Bear Hunt.

We had lots of fun guessing who or what they Giant Jumperee could be. I think the kindle version (or at least my paperwhite version) loses something on the black and white screen, but I think its safe to say that we will be looking to get a full colour print copy of this to add to our library of family favourites.

I sat this afternoon and read this with my friends three year old daughter. I'm not sure I did a great job of changing the tone of my voice but she certainly liked it.

We sat while I read the story to her. She pointed out the lovely illustrations and we chatted about each one. I thought the story was catchy and we were both looking forward to seeing who the Giant Jumperee was.

I don't normally read kids books on my kindle but I've got a feeling this is going to be read more than any other book on my kindle.

Again, lovely use of rhyme and the illustrations add another layer to the story. A comic look at how we deal with fear. I loved it, but my six year old thought the baby frog was really mean playing a trick on the other animals to scare them! He adored the pictures, and the text was at just the right level for him to read aloud.

Two giants of children's picture books team up for the first time in what could become an instant-classic, more because of its creators than necessarily standing alone on its content.

THE GIANT JUMPEREE is a charming little story of Rabbit and his friends, who are all too scared to enter or explore Rabbit's burrow because of the fearsome 'Giant Jumperee', who is 'taller than a tree' and threatens to 'sting you like a bee'.

For fans of Julia Donaldson's outstanding stories with Axel Scheffler (THE GRUFFALO, ZOG, ROOM ON THE BROOM, SNAIL AND THE WHALE, etc), this is a bit of departure in style and tone. Not just because the illustrator is the excellent Helen Oxenbury of WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT fame, rather than Scheffler. But because Donaldson adopts a different style to her own writing in this book, one more in keeping with WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT than THE GRUFFALO or ZOG.

Much of the story is more straightforward, not all of it is in rhyming verse, and there's less zaniness or action. There's a different feel to the rhythm as you read it aloud to your little one, but it flows well. More of a subtle, almost old-fashioned tone (this isn't a bad thing, just different).

THE GIANT JUMPEREE unfolds, building towards a nice finish. The illustrations bring to life the meadows surrounding Rabbit's burrow, and the animal friends. In a way the book almost adopts that quieter English countryside feel itself, feeling almost reminiscent of Beatrix Potter or THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (Oxenbury's illustrations playing into that). It's a lovely story, a charming one, and one that I can see my two-year-old wanting to read again and again.

Like many a supergroup formed from talented and successful musicians, I'm not sure if Donaldson and Oxenbury's collaboration is greater than the sum of its parts, but it's an interesting experiment that has given us something different that's definitely worth having on your shelf at home.