Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2021 *Starred Review* Time is a difficult concept to explain, but Morstad uses a variety of apt descriptions and illustrations to define it in a manner comprehensible to children. Beginning with “Time is a seed. Sleeping, waiting in the dark,” the author/illustrator shows a plant progressing through the life cycle from seed to flower, then demonstrates how the loss of its petals signals the end of its life. She elucidates how time can seem to move slowly, as when a spider weaves its web, when preparing and baking a deliciously anticipated loaf of bread, or when waiting for the school day to end or enduring a time-out. Other times it can feel that time advances more swiftly, as when the earth rotates and shadows change shape and length, or when the progression of a sunset becomes visible. Two pages of Norman Rockwellesque illustrations portray faces in stages of transition from childhood to adult as time moves on. Over displays of the passages of time, caterpillars become butterflies and mountains break down to become small rocks. Time can be frozen when captured by a camera, but otherwise it moves inexorably on. The clever illustrations are done in pencil, markers, colored inks, and pastels with digital assistance. The pictures change in shape, sizes, and colors, creating a fascinating way to think about the passage of time. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.