Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2022 *Starred Review* This arresting tour through a Malaysian rain forest is most notable for its spectacular illustrations. Photorealistic scenes, created with pencil and oil paint, are dense with detail. Most appear in grayscale, but full color is also deployed, its impact all the greater for the contrast it creates with its monochrome counterparts. The first page sees a tiny, silhouetted adult and child about to enter the trees lining a river. Conversational writing in the first-person plural sets an inviting tone for armchair explorers, who will feel as if they are stepping into this tropical rain forest alongside the pair of hikers. At first, it seems as if there are very few animals residing there, but after the hikers pause to truly look and listen, a diverse world of plants and animals reveals itself. Giant hornbills, scurrying termites, a clouded leopard, a large flying fox, and towering tualang trees literally enter the picture, along with many other creatures (all identified in the robust back matter). A spirit of scientific inquiry and discovery imbues the text, as the narrator suggests readers join in the search for clues to questions like, where do the forest’s young trees grow? Readers will absorb the fact-laden text with ease (an extensive discussion of seed dispersal via poop is riveting) and come away with a genuine appreciation of these unique habitats. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.