Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/01/2022 People get a wake-up call from birds, bugs, beasts, and other wild creatures in this colorful picture book written from the animals’ points of view. Each time a human family wanders into the territory of a different species, a young animal asks its mother, “What is that?” and hears the reply “That’s a person,” followed by safety warnings, necessary because “people are wild.” They’re loud, messy, smelly, nosy, and strange. But the young ones point out that they’re also “just like us”—cuddly, cute, unique, and fun to watch. In the illustrations, the children and young animals are constantly watching each other, fascinated. But when a young elephant wants to keep a little girl, the mother elephant nixes the idea, explaining that “People are wild. And all wild creatures should be free.” The conversational narrative reads aloud beautifully, perhaps echoing words that children have heard from their own parents. Created with colored pencil and watercolor, the artwork features pleasing color combinations and softly shaded forms within varied natural habitats. A fresh perspective on people and animals. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.