Bound To Stay Bound

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Booklist - 03/15/2018 *Starred Review* Dinosaurs and other mammoth creatures might be the star attraction here, but the poems themselves are bite-size. In vivacious, often humorous verse, Elliott walks readers through prehistoric times, beginning with the tiny trilobite, which appeared more than 500 million years ago. That much time can be a difficult concept to grasp, but a time line at the bottom of each spread gives readers an assist as the book moves chronologically forward. The text walks a fine line between scientific and poetic, and for the most part, it succeeds gloriously. Each poem’s title is the name of its subject. Some require very little introduction (the entirety of the poem for the Jurassic era Dilophosaurus is, quite simply, “Blessed / with / crests!”), while others are more elaborate—the infamous T. rex certainly gets his due (“Even kings / are vanquished / when stars fall / from the sky”). It’s not just dinosaurs profiled here; the book heads all the way into the Quaternary period (that’s the one we’re currently in) and introduces creatures like the saber-toothed tiger (“Smilodon”) and the Woolly Mammoth (“Mammuthus”). Trueman’s full-bleed, vibrant portraits bring these long-extinct animals to energetic life, and a final spread offers up more scientific facts. A journey into the past that’s a visual and linguistic joy. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2018 Gr 1–3—Softly detailed watercolors accompany poems about early life-forms in this moving examination of prehistoric Earth. At the bottom of each page is a small box noting the era of the topic creature and showing the range in millions of years. Each short poem communicates the name of the animal and some details about them with a sense of wonder and humor, often playing on readers' expectations. ("Dilophosaurus" is only three words: "Blessed/with/crests!") Most illustrations are a full spread in size. Trueman's mixed-media artwork is filled with texture and small details; muddy river banks, the fleshy ridges of the megalodon's mouth, the remains of trilobites, etc. The majesty of the larger creatures is also well communicated. An author's note discusses ongoing discoveries of fossils, and explains how the prehistoric eras built on each other like stairs. In addition, a "Notes on the Animals" segment lists each covered time period, the poems that fall within that era, and additional information on creatures. VERDICT Prehistoric beasts are an evergreen favorite among kids, and this wonderful combination of art, poetry, and science is a great addition to libraries.—Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Library, WA - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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