Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 05/01/2018 PreS-K—"Who walks in the mud? A puppy!" Questions set against a background of animals' footprints invite young audiences to guess which baby animal left their print, followed by the answer page illustrating each youngling, with some easier to guess than others from their respective marks. The sweet, realistically portrayed creatures include a duckling, fawn, sea turtle hatching, rabbit kitten, penguin chick, and woolly bear caterpillar, among others. The babies stand out against the creamy beige and other light-colored backgrounds; though, as they are digitally rendered, a few come across slightly glassy-eyed and stiff, especially the toddler on the "Who learns to walk on two feet?" concluding page. At the back, a small glossary supplies more information on each animal, describing their immediate post-birth behavior in a small blurb underneath a picture of each footprint. VERDICT A brief but informative introduction to animal behavior for the littlest naturalists and a fun guessing game for preschoolers.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/15/2018 Here is a science book with the “aw” factor of a playful read-aloud for young children. Each baby animal is introduced with a single “who” question (Who waddles? Who hops? Who digs? Who wears?) and a set of footprints as a hint to its identity. A turn of the page reveals the animal and starts the guessing game all over again. Words applicable to animal young, such as calf, fawn, hatchling, and pup, introduce descriptive vocabulary to young readers and listeners. After the final baby—a human child—is revealed, the author provides three pages of more detailed information about each animal, paired once again with illustrations of their footprints. The layout of the book is open and clean, with digitally rendered artwork that utilizes a warm palette of browns, greens, and grays. The animals are not anthropomorphized but have a sweetness all the same. Incorporating a guessing game, a tracking guide, babies in motion, and introduction to habitats, this spare book is deceptively busy. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.