Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2015 One spring in Texas, a chimney swift flies back from South America to the farmhouse where it was born. In the chimney, the swift and its mate build a nest, and the female lays three white eggs. Three weeks later, they hatch. Eating all the insects their parents can bring them, the young birds grow up quickly, and soon they are trying their wings and flying about the farm with their family. In early winter, the swifts join a flock flying southward. The text is simple and informative, but it tells only part of the story in this appealing offering. Created with broad brushstrokes of watercolor and including digital elements, the vivid illustrations also show people on the farm: a father, mother, little girl, and (around the time the swifts’ eggs hatch) new baby brother. There’s little direct interplay between the human and avian families, which is realistic. But those scenes, such as the father and daughter waving at the fledgling birds, become a rewarding part of the visual narrative. An engaging, informational picture book. - Copyright 2015 Booklist.