Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/01/2021 A girl with huge eyes, a moon-shaped face, and bendy arms and legs is hanging from a tree limb at night when someone (we see only a cartoon speech bubble) summons her to bed. Wanting to stay out all night, Beatrice wishes she were a tree, and with that, her metamorphosis begins. Her face fades to bark; her right arm becomes a branch. The narrative catalogs what she can do: cradle a bird’s nest, provide a playground for squirrels, push her roots underground. She bounces and shakes and whispers goodbye to falling leaves. As the Beatrice tree changes through the seasons, the illustrations, done in watercolor, acrylic paint, gouache, and digital collage, use simple shapes and flickering colors to produce a dreamlike feel. At the end, once Beatrice is in bed, a page of factual tree information is somewhat jolting. Young readers may enjoy the fantasy more than the facts, but the fantasy works, both as a lovely metamorphosis story and in showing the vitality of trees. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2021 K-Gr 2—Look at the trees. Beginning with labeled leaf shapes on end pages, the reader's eye moves on to stylized folk art images of trees and the fluid movements of fair-skinned, dark-haired Beatrice as she climbs a tree, hangs upside down, and briefly tries to ignore the call to come in for the night. She can easily visualize staying outside the full night: "If I were a tree…." Her arms grow into tree shape with trunk and bark, with branches and leaves that move with the breeze. Birds catch the morning sun, squirrels appear, followed by caterpillars, deer, spiders, and a sleepy owl. The tree then sends roots to burrow into soil with earthworms, chipmunks, vole, and mice. As Beatrice dreams of her tree, each page brings the reader a new seasonal digital collage with watercolor, acrylic, and gouache, ending with brief simple sentences and the quiet of fallen snow. An infographic page emphasizes how animals use trees, including a labeled diagram of tree parts, the seasons, an explanation of photosynthesis, and encouragement to plant. VERDICT A suggested general purchase for all libraries, the book is a lovely art tribute to the beauty of trees through Beatrice's dream—interrupted by a persistent voice and the annoying final call, "Beatrice, Bed! Now!"—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano I.S.D., TX - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.