Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 10/15/2016 There’s a comfortingly old-fashioned feel to Hurst’s book: pen-and-ink drawings are done primarily in black-and-white (with the exception of the red end pages), while the characters’ clothing and the train that whisks them away all seem from another time—just the right beginning to this otherworldly experience. Imagination reigns in this flight of fantasy; there is minimal text, and it seems no rules apply. Rabbits read newspapers, fish fly, and trees grow out of pictures. Readers will have tea with gargoyles and float on lily pad rafts, see books and umbrellas float by, walk among lions and bears, or ride on a fish bus with a bear conductor. Still, the world seems solidly real; the illustrations are highly detailed with fine lines that add depth and texture. The children’s faces alternate between wonder and joy, and prevalent white space and light accent the action. Pair with Journey (2013), by Aaron Becker, for another dive into a world filled with tangible objects in fantastic situations. - Copyright 2016 Booklist.