All the animals come together to help Mama JoJo (a lemur) find her Baby Jazzy in a game of hide-and-seek. Thick, cut-out pages in shapes that emphasize the edges of giant leaves, flowers and trees evoke readers' feeling of searching through a lush, dense environment.
Lucy Cousins (the Maisy books) employs her signature bright colors and thick black line to make the jungle come alive. She states up front that "Mama JoJo and Baby Jazzy are playing hide-and-seek in the jungle," so youngest readers know that Jazzy is not lost, just playing a game with Mama JoJo. The baby on the cover, waving, and a picture of mother and offspring on the title page reinforce this message.
The lemur mother (recognizable from her striped tail) calls out, "Where are you, Baby Jazzy?" as Anteater, Snake, Hummingbird and other animals reply, "Not here." Leopard tells her to "try looking by the tum tum trees" (which Lewis Carroll fans may recognize as a nod to "Jabberwocky"), and Gorilla suggests looking by the "fliff fluff flowers." But Elephant is the one to recruit the whole crowd: "Let's all look by the big boo trees." Mama JoJo, either in jest or in earnest says, "Oh Baby Jazzy, will I ever find you?" A chorus of yeses follows, as all of the previously mentioned creatures point toward Jazzy's hiding place, and a spectacular trifold reveals the baby lemur's confounding spot. Cousins's message that it takes a village (or a jungle) to keep it inhabitants safe will resonate reassuringly with toddlers and preschoolers. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness