Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 11/01/2022 K-Gr 3—Using only poetic couplets which tend to end with the phase "dark on light," White's text is the distillation of the journey that Sala depicts of a trio of children with flashlights ablaze who go into the woods at dusk to track down their dog. Sala portrays the three pale-skinned children frolicking along a trail from home through a meadow and woods searching for their dog while enjoying nature. When they find the pup, they all happily trek back home to awaiting parents, who lovingly put them to bed. Searching for the dog and delighting in the nature around them are given equal attention. White's wonderful lines giving the essence of the children's trip ("Inviting the trail. Timid the fawn. Dark the hedge that borders the lawn) are brought into focus by the accompanying illustrations. Sala's illustrations in watercolors, gouache, and colored pencils have a detail, depth, and color that embody the text while fleshing out the story into a comprehensive whole. VERDICT Text and artwork beautifully in tandem to tell of a successful search and to evoke the feelings of joy that nature can stir. The book works on many levels and would make a good addition to most libraries.—Catherine Callegari - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 12/01/2022 White’s lyrical paean to the dark celebrates the nighttime activities of a young family. “Gentle the evening. Sweeping the skies. / Dark the shadows as twilight arrives. // Rose the horizon, gleaming and bright. / Twilight and evening and dark on light.” As the sun sets, three children grab flashlights and set out for an evening stroll. They note sage and garden stones, spy a doe and her fawn, smell lavender, and observe a silent owl. Eventually they return home for a story and drift off to sleep. Sala’s watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations perfectly capture the natural beauty and serenity that surround this rural household. The color palette evolves from twilight reds to evening blues and purples to inky nighttime blacks and grays; back home in their beds, the kids await the sunny yellows of a new day. Throughout, a full moon provides light and enhances the colors on the spreads. This makes a soothing bedtime read-aloud and a lilting celebration of the natural world. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.