Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2023 PreS-Gr 2—This is a sweet story of a little girl enjoying simple pleasures. She reads a book, rides a bike, crunches leaves, somersaults in the grass, and more. The refrain normalizes solitude so that it feels cozy instead of lonely—"Just you, reading your book, alone, and the only sound in the world is the whispery sound of you turning pages." But other times, Hest adds, "It's nice when a friend stops by." The friend on each spread is a stuffed animal that the girl imagines as her life-size companion. Stead's captivating illustrations, beautifully rendered against a white backdrop, showcase the virtue of imagination. On each spread where the girl is enjoying her solitude, she looms large in the foreground, but when she is joined by a "friend," she becomes smaller as the world around her expands. It's a lovely thought. VERDICT A celebration sure to delight introverts everywhere, this is a recommended first purchase for all.—Lindsay Loup - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/01/2023 Sometimes it’s nice to be alone, and sometimes it’s nice when a friend comes by, but either way, you can find good things about each day. In this affirming acknowledgement that alone does not equal lonely, a young girl eats a cookie, reads a book, practices somersaults, rides a bike, crunches through leaves, takes a walk, plays in a treehouse, and watches it snow. Paired pages first show the girl alone with a toy animal. The second page takes a fanciful turn as the animal becomes life size and the settings become more exotic. Soaring illustrations created with printmaking techniques greatly expand the text and add larger action to the narrative. Somersaults are fun, but tucking and rolling with a full-size whale is an adventure. The episodic nature of the story encourages readers to move slowly and think about each scene. The final comparison resets the premise. The child is shown cozy in bed. Instead of a friend joining the scene, the final page simply states, “dreaming,” which puts the animal escapades into a new context. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

Booklist - 02/15/2023 Sometimes it’s nice to be alone, and sometimes it’s nice when a friend comes by, but either way, you can find good things about each day. In this affirming acknowledgement that alone does not equal lonely, a young girl eats a cookie, reads a book, practices somersaults, rides a bike, crunches through leaves, takes a walk, plays in a treehouse, and watches it snow. Paired pages first show the girl alone with a toy animal. The second page takes a fanciful turn as the animal becomes life size and the settings become more exotic. Soaring illustrations created with printmaking techniques greatly expand the text and add larger action to the narrative. Somersaults are fun, but tucking and rolling with a full-size whale is an adventure. The episodic nature of the story encourages readers to move slowly and think about each scene. The final comparison resets the premise. The child is shown cozy in bed. Instead of a friend joining the scene, the final page simply states, “dreaming,” which puts the animal escapades into a new context. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.