Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/01/2022 K-Gr 2—For young children with active imaginations, days are filled with wonder and intrigue. An unnamed girl is exploring her world, surrounded by the myriad toys and stuffed animals that are her companions. When life becomes more complicated, the girl prefers to spend time in her restful dreams and wakeful imaginings, where she finds the joy she sometimes lacks in her quotidian existence. From dawn to dusk, the young girl, who has blond hair and pink skin, experiences the varied emotions of childhood before settling in and pondering questions markedly larger than herself. This poetic story has been expertly translated from the original Dutch into English, using a blend of rhyming lines and free verse to craft each unique poem. As in the style of Shel Silverstein, the poems are brief, each one focusing on a particular observation of the girl in the story. Vacillating among whimsy, playfulness, sadness, and contemplation, the poems lovingly capture many of the complex and often challenging emotions felt by young children. Each spread features one poem against a fully illustrated backdrop that draws readers' eyes as much as the text pleases their ears. The book is a thought-provoking look at how one can express emotions through poetry. VERDICT This beautifully translated, poetic story gives young readers a unique understanding of the intricacies and range of human emotions.—Mary Lanni - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/01/2022 The Hagens, former children's-book poet laureates of the Netherlands, offer a selection of short verses that explore children's questions about hard-to-express topics. For You cites the need for superlative language to express affection; Soon interprets expressions of time and their meanings; and Clouds asks how that fluff stays up. Most are quietly upbeat; a few contemplate death (Like Grandpa); others play with language (Little). Törnqvist's whimsical illustrations approach the poems from a child's perspective and include many small details. 1, 2, 3, for example, imagines a child playing teacher to all her book-reading stuffies. The art conveys emotions mostly through settings, rather than facial expressions. In Drops of Sadness, a child with a bloody knee cries, surrounded by his overturned doll buggy and toys. Still other spreads (Sunflower Sea) radiate imagination and joy. Concluding with Enough (how many words have I got left / . . . enough / to last a lifetime / to last as long as I live), this smooth translation is a contemplative gem. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.