Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 01/01/2022 Elliott's (Baabwaa & Wooliam, 2017) newest picture book offers an upbeat look at avian colors and the joy of being alive. A young child observes the birds near their house: Red big. / Red small. / Red sits on my garden wall. In subsequent spreads, additional birds of various hues appear until the tree is alive with a glorious array of feathered friends all warbling together. Turk's pastel-and-charcoal illustrations depict each songbird in vibrant colors. Most figures are outlined in black, then filled in with colorful smudges often extending beyond the outlines. Many spreads depict movement (a particular bird at multiple points, swooping across the pages), and birdsong is portrayed as colorful lines flowing from each feathered creature's mouth. The cumulative effect of the full chorus is somewhat discordant visually, but it is effective in conveying the cacophony of such a large flock. Still, there's no denying the jubilant mood this chorus evokes in the child, enabling them to metaphorically take flight at the end. A good spring story hour choice. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 03/01/2022 Toddler-PreS—Reminiscent of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, this book teaches young readers about colors while pairing the lesson with joy and whimsy: "Blue low, blue high. Blue has taken to the sky." Readers follow a young child with enormous eyes and short curls as they discover a world with a rainbow of colorful birds. Concise sentences on each spread are provided in large type for those first learning to read and offer an easily accessible rhyme scheme. This poetic quality of the text engages readers in the beauty of nature and song. The sketch-style artwork in pastels and charcoal shows a world awash in color. The illustrations are detailed, particularly for the birds and trees, but the diffused light also provides a gentle quality to the scenes. VERDICT A recommended purchase for home and public library collections serving the youngest of patrons, and for fans of Eric Carle. Older readers may find instructional use; for example, the book can be used to teach colors to English language learners.—Monisha Blair - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.