Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 08/08/2023 A companion book to When Cloud Became a Cloud (2020), in which Hodgson explains the water cycle to young children, his new picture book introduces the moon and explains its orbit, its light, its occasional “magic” trick (a solar eclipse), how it was formed, how it affects Earth, why it has craters, and much more. The information is organized into chapters by topic. Simple ones are presented in two double-page spreads, while the longest, on phases of the moon, requires five spreads for the explanations and pictures. Each spread displays one or more imaginative, mixed-media illustrations in color. Keeping his audience in mind, Hodgson avoids lengthy discussions. His pithy commentary is accompanied by speech balloons carrying remarks from the moon, portrayed here as a knowledgeable, genial neighbor who loves her friends Sun and Earth and looks forward to welcoming more visitors from our planet someday. In the meantime, “Moon can’t wait to look down from her spot in the night sky and see you, her new friend!” An enjoyable introductory book for curious kids. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 11/01/2023 PreS-Gr 2—Origin stories aren't just for superheroes! Moon's odyssey from flaming, red ball of Earth shards to silvery orb is one of the most iconic back stories. This companion to Hodgson's nonfiction-bending picture book When Cloud Became a Cloud, told in 11 very short chapters, describes the Moon's genesis as well as modern Moon phenomena such as phases, solar eclipses, and gravitational pull. There is also a nod to body positivity when Moon professes her love of her craters saying, "Each one is special!" Hodgson's personified planets, moons, and stars are simply illustrated and quite expressive, replete with eyelashes and cheeky grins. Nevertheless, clear and concise depictions of complex lunar processes will charm both children and adults. VERDICT Never has a celestial object's past, present, and future been told in a more fun and fact-filled way. A must-have for all collections; along with the first book and Drew Beckmeyer's I Am a Tornado, the lines between fiction and nonfiction are cheerfully smearing like chalk drawings on a rainy day.—Sarah Simpson - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.