Jabari tells his dad that today is the day he will take his first jump from the diving board at the pool where he has had swimming lessons and passed a test. His resolve begins to waver, however, when he stands at the bottom of the ladder and looks up. He gives up his place in the queue whilst he decides on what kind of jump he will do. Perhaps he is too tired to jump, or does he needs to do stretching exercises first? His dad listens sympathetically to these prevarications, then suggests that whenever he feels scared it helps to take a deep breath to think positive thoughts. Jabari is calmed by these words, and finally climbs to the diving board in readiness to jump. The highly effective illustrations feature bold blocks of colour for the figures of Jabari, his father and small sister, seen as dramatic silhouettes against a monochrome urban backdrop. At the same time perspective and viewpoints are varied to convey Jabari's exaggerated sense of the height of the diving board, and so to create much suspense as the small boy battles with his fears.