Bound To Stay Bound

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School Library Journal - 04/01/2014 PreS-Gr 2—A bug may look huge to itself and other bugs. A leaf may seem big among other leaves. When you put the two objects next to each other, one will look bigger in comparison to the other. Cole has taken this idea of scale and turned it into a fascinating story that will delight kids and enthrall parents and teachers looking to teach the concept to young children. The lush paintings capture the beauty of the natural world while also showing simple comparisons. The spare text is perfectly used throughout, highlighting the unique qualities of the things that surround us. Cole starts off with a single ladybug and escalates to the vast bright blue sky before bringing the reader back down to the smaller level of a single ladybug crawling on a napping dog's nose. The concept of scale is brilliantly depicted on the title page (where tiny ladybugs crawl over the title of the book in large font) as well as the endpapers. The different font sizes further highlight the use of scale in his breathtaking illustrations. Big Bug is a unique reading experience with broad appeal.—Christopher Lassen, Brooklyn Public Library - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2014 In Cole’s latest picture book, an object can be seen as big or little depending on context. The words “Big bug” appear on a double-page spread almost filled with a picture of a ladybug. The next spread, illustrating “Little bug / Big leaf,” shows a smaller picture of the same ladybug on a large leaf. Each turn of the page takes the viewer farther away. The leaf is little compared with a nearby flower, but the flower is little next to a dog, which is dwarfed by a cow. After the “big” object pictured is the sky, the comparison vector shifts, and everything named is smaller than its predecessor. Well matched with the concept, the mixed-media illustrations are simple and effective. Cole makes good use of changing perspectives in the skillfully composed paintings of rural scenes. Children will enjoy picking out the objects that appear in several illustrations, as they diminish or increase in size from page to page. An attractive addition to picture-book collections. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2014 This concept book opens with an image of a ladybug, so close up that it takes up nearly two-thirds of the double-page spread, and the words “Big bug.” The next spread shows the same bug, now much smaller atop a large green leaf as the perspective zooms out, stating “Little bug. Big leaf.” The sequence continues pulling back to dwarf each previously large-seeming object in turn, with the leaf appearing smaller next to a flower, then the flower appearing smaller next to a dog, all the way up to a “big . . . BIG sky,” at which point it reverses and zooms in again. There are a few glitches (the “big tree” isn’t actually bigger than the “little barn,” it’s just closer to the viewer), but generally the book is effective in accessibly demonstrating a fairly sophisticated concept; Cole’s illustrations provide child-friendly lessons in perspective and point of view, and there is plenty to discuss with young viewers. The type size helpfully shifts with the descriptions, so smaller type identifies the little elements and larger type identifies the big elements, adding further conceptual support. The acrylic and colored pencil full-bleed compositions are at their best in the intense closeups, with vividly saturated fields of color filling the space and brushstrokes adding detail and texture. The simple pastoral setting-white barn, red roof, green grass, changing sky-provides a calming backdrop for the tightly focused objective. The concept element will serve art teachers well in their instruction, while the peaceful ending makes this a fine bedtime selection. HM - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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