Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 08/08/2023 *Starred Review* Fear and misperceptions keep villagers in the dark. With a unique and effective design, this haunting and atmospheric picture book opens vertically with dual narratives providing both sides of the story. The first voice at the top of the page is full of suspicion, apprehension, and alarm: “They came in the dark and took the narrow path that only witches used. Everyone said that’s what they were.” In a moody palette of midnight black and sunset mauve, Luyken’s dramatic ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations show mysterious shadowy images. The voice that appears in italics at the bottom half of the spread calmly explains, “It was a woods full of birds.” Superstitious speculations fly, with reported sightings of a black cat and cloaked figures carrying brooms. One little girl with sunny-yellow pigtails from the village above is able to look beyond the divisive rumors. Visiting the woodland below affords her an opportunity to see her neighbors (and their pet kitty, Mingus) in a different light. As the villagers come to realize the errors of their preconceived notions, they make sincere reparations to try to mend what was damaged. Magical and astute, In the Dark sheds light on building community through kindness, compassion, and connection. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 11/01/2023 Gr 1–3—An all-but-bifurcated page makes a mystery of events in the woods, with a gossipy, speculative narrative running across the top of spreads, and a quieter, more neutral reporting of activities on the bottom: "They came in the dark and took the narrow path that only witches used. Everyone said that's what they were," is the book's opening line, but below it in italics, it reads, "It was a woods full of birds." The tone of suspicion deepens. Along the top, the story is, "They danced around fires at night—witches' brew." By contrast, a cheery glow lights the bottom half of the page, accompanied by the words, "We made our own light." A blonde child from the gloaming on the upper part of the page begins to interact with a dark-haired child of the lower part, whom readers later see dancing joyfully, right before an illustration of "their" dark shapes filling the skies. As the two stories intersect, suspicion gives way to grudging admission of truth, and then genuine regret for the misguided assumptions. The people who took the narrow path were building and flying kites. The simplicity of the two tales, which were inevitably headed for collision, combined with distilled use of colors, hidden by great inky sweeps of black, give this book the clarity of a church bell ringing in the distance. When shapes become visible, revealing a diverse group of celebrants in scenes that dance with purple, gold, blue and green, readers will shake off the haunting beginning, but turn to it again. The story's lesson takes hold quietly and honestly. It's a bit shaming for adults; children may not grasp the gravity of the misunderstandings. VERDICT A bold venture in storytelling will appeal to children for its overall atmospherics and the twist in the plot, but the finger-pointing is aimed squarely at us.—Kimberly Olson Fakih - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.