Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 11/15/2019 “Packs, herds, huddles, and pods. Together, we are better.” This opening sentence sums things up well, and what follows is a series of spotlights on specific animals that rely on groups to survive. Rather than marveling at the strangeness of obscure collective nouns, Salyer seeks to educate, generally focusing on more common animals (butterflies, lions, frogs) though there are some surprising inclusions, such as mongooses, coral, wildebeest. Subjects receive two pages, which include a rich illustration as well as two to three sentences describing how their numbers are used for the collective benefit, capped off by an individualized refrain of “Together, we . . .” Given the informational component’s brevity, it’s the artwork that takes center stage, with Salyer’s striking, monochromatic spreads flooding the page and forcing the reader to confront the awesome reality of entire groups. Fittingly, she ends with a crowd of humans in a public space, and back matter reminds us that, while many creatures thrive in packs, we also need others to survive. A useful tool for a classroom of children. Together, we learn! - Copyright 2019 Booklist.