Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/01/2022 Gr 1–4—The seasons of winter 1846 to winter 1847 structure a surprising juxtaposition at Walden. "Oddball" Henry David Thoreau meditates, and "bankrupt" Frederic Tudor exploits: a tenuous connection, but young Thoreau's imagination is caught by the journey of the ice that middle-aged Tudor daringly ships to India. Tudor rejected a Harvard education and failed many times, but persevered through business reverses to make, lose, and regain a fortune. As with Cline-Ransome's Overground Railroad and Before She Was Harriet, the text is lyrical, unpunctuated free verse, which can sometimes be a challenge to readers. For example, the absence of punctuation in this book can lead to unintended absurdities, such as the suggestion of fish in trees: "circled by pine and oak/ home to perch and pickerel." Cline-Ransome adroitly uses parallel phrasing to underscore the differences and similarities linking these men, whose public images radically evolved. Atmospheric watercolor illustrations splash ice blue across many pages, relieved by green in warmer months and climes. Yazdani expertly depicts ice-cutting, storage, and shipping, using bold compositions and perspectives, including a bird's-eye view into Thoreau's cabin (alert readers will find three chairs, not the text's two) and a vignette where Thoreau pours water caught by a hand in India. Pair this title with Robert Burleigh's If You Spent a Day with Thoreau at Walden Pond, D.B. Johnson's "Henry" series, or Bill Montague's Little Mouse; though these titles are for similar ages, they cover only Thoreau, unlike this text that includes the contrast to Tudor. VERDICT This unusual and striking double portrayal will appeal to nascent nature-lovers and embryo entrepreneurs.—Patricia D. Lothrop - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 11/01/2022 Henry David Thoreau may be familiar to readers. Frederic Tudor, probably not. Cline-Ransome introduces both men and their connections to Walden Pond through poetic text that spans the seasons. In the winter of 1846, these men are considered outsiders and lowly “dreamers.” But inspired by the frozen water of Walden Pond, Thoreau writes of its beauty and Tudor hires men to cut it into blocks. When summer arrives, Tudor ships 180 tons of ice to India’s Calcutta (now Kolkata), and Thoreau observes the process. Yazdani’s enhanced, detailed watercolors play with perspective, color, and texture to give Walden Pond’s water a life of its own. When the seasons cycle again, the perceptions of both men have changed, and Cline-Ransome sums up their legacies, describing Thoreau as “a philosopher / a naturalist / a poet” and Tudor as “an inventor / a genius / an ice king.” An author’s note offers more details on Tudor’s ice enterprise, acknowledging that most of the ice probably went to the British via the exploitative East India Company. Beautifully illustrated, niche history. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.

Booklist - 11/01/2022 Henry David Thoreau may be familiar to readers. Frederic Tudor, probably not. Cline-Ransome introduces both men and their connections to Walden Pond through poetic text that spans the seasons. In the winter of 1846, these men are considered outsiders and lowly “dreamers.” But inspired by the frozen water of Walden Pond, Thoreau writes of its beauty and Tudor hires men to cut it into blocks. When summer arrives, Tudor ships 180 tons of ice to India’s Calcutta (now Kolkata), and Thoreau observes the process. Yazdani’s enhanced, detailed watercolors play with perspective, color, and texture to give Walden Pond’s water a life of its own. When the seasons cycle again, the perceptions of both men have changed, and Cline-Ransome sums up their legacies, describing Thoreau as “a philosopher / a naturalist / a poet” and Tudor as “an inventor / a genius / an ice king.” An author’s note offers more details on Tudor’s ice enterprise, acknowledging that most of the ice probably went to the British via the exploitative East India Company. Beautifully illustrated, niche history. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.