Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/01/2018 K-Gr 3—Written entirely in haiku, this slim title depicts rainy days around the world. The verse transports readers from a person with a broken-down car in the middle of a storm to a much-needed rainfall after a forest fire. Each spread in the book shows how poetry and nature can marry to capture a mood in time. The work ends with a haiku about a moment after rain, a scene filled with falling pink tree petals and friendship. The delicate illustrations, done in greys and muted blues and browns, are atmospheric. The animals and people are given as much detail and care in the artwork as the tiny drops of water. This would make for an understated introduction to haiku; have students create their own weather-inspired poems. VERDICT A quiet, somewhat melancholy addition to poetry collections.—Molly Dettmann, Norman North High School, OK - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 10/15/2018 Twelve haiku, each with its own double-page spread, feature rain and the sound of rain in various locales around the world. Inclement days are portrayed mainly in muted shades of gray and brown, with bright spots of green and red. Humor is evident in several of the selections: “A newspaper falls but won’t land until morning—already old news.” Its accompanying picture shows a group of people and a yak crossing a wooden bridge suspended over a Himalayan gorge during a thunderstorm as a newspaper drifts downward. “Sand . . . rustling as it lands,” “hooves thunder,” and “rain drums” introduce the sounds of variations of rainfall. The poetry collection ends with two Japanese girls walking hand in hand: “Petals raining down, and friends forget their quarrel—two gentle smiles grow.” The endpapers, which resemble rain-streaked windows with drops visible beyond the pane, are a fitting introduction and conclusion to the subject at hand. To be fully appreciated, this quiet book requires readers to take the time to study the paintings and ponder the well-chosen words. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.