Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2020 PreS-Gr 2—A boy takes a daily walk with his dog through the countryside. The book opens with an array of wintry scenes but as it goes on, the boy observes the changes in the scenery as the season shifts from winter to spring. The book's repetition of the word "hello" becomes a soothing and rhythmic addition to the text. The child appears to be in constant conversation with the natural world around him. These conversations have a poetic tone and flow. The drawings are done in a folk-art style with scenes that often shift perspective, giving readers an opportunity to view the landscape in different ways. Neutral colors are used to portray dark snowy scenery. Snowflakes are streaked and dotted across pages, generating a realistic illusion of movement. Animals with playful expressions can be seen throughout. VERDICT A good addition to any seasonal storytime collection.—Deanna Smith, Pender County Public Library, NC - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/01/2020 A boy wearing a hooded coat and boots walks around his wintry, rural yard after dark, saying “Hello” to the snow, the frozen pond, and the storm itself. Their replies include a greeting, their points of view on what's happening, and even a “howwwwllllll!” A turn of the page brings a morning full of changes. Now wearing a jacket, shorts, and sneakers, the boy runs outside, greeting the bright sun, the new leaves, and the returning birds. “Goodbye, winter. / Hello spring!” This satisfying picture book contrasts the relative quiet of wintry words such as drift, fall, huddle, and frozen with the vitality of early spring terms: waking, warm, budding, and green grass. In the handsome, digitally enhanced watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, the palette shifts as well. Subtle, mysterious scenes created mainly with black, white, and shades of gray give way to sunlit, increasingly colorful vistas, vibrant with orange, red, yellow, green, and blue. The third in Pak’s series on seasonal changes, this handsome picture book is just right for reading aloud as winter ends and spring begins. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.