Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/01/2013 PreS-K—This easy reader introduces five animals and their habitats. A lion, reindeer, camel, sea lion, and tiger are presented through peekaboolike circles under the heading, "What am I?" A page turn reveals the full creature: "I am a lion. Where am I?" Turn the page again and two lionesses are shown sitting in a grassland. The simple questions repeat for each creature. The illustrations are rendered in watercolor and pencil, but at times too much white space makes the images stark. On the last page, readers see a boy in front of a picture of the planet Earth: "What am I? I am a boy on the beautiful earth," which is potentially confusing. An additional purchase.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 09/01/2013 Lewin adds to his abundant array of animal-themed picture books with this simple offering, highlighted by beautifully realized art. In three-page cycles, readers are offered first a detail of a larger image (a lion’s eye, for example, or the antlers of a reindeer) and asked “What am I?” The following page reveals the full image of the animal against a white background and asks, “Where am I?” The third page shows the animal in its natural habitat (grasslands, for instance, or tundra). But it’s Lewin’s art that finally sells the idea: his animals bristle with photo-realistic fur, and they are captured in wonderfully textured environments and positions that make them seem to breathe on the page. Although several of the animals and, even more so, their habitats will be difficult for young readers to guess, the help of an adult can turn the experience into an engaging learning game, and this opportunity for interaction makes it an excellent choice for preschool read-alouds. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.