Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 11/01/2025 K-Gr 3—With her dog, a girl with brown skin and cascading brown and gingerish hair goes out for a walk that begins in sunshine, suffers a few small drops, then darkening skies and sheets of rain. It's wordless to that point, while a grandmother, white with darker hair, waits on the porch. In this exuberantly illustrated picture book, rich scientific vocabulary kicks in after the rain, used to describe the things the girl and the dog observe: evaporation, puddles, humidity. The brightly colored images help to demonstrate the meanings and move the story along with amusing actions of both the dog and the girl, resplendent against the flora and fauna of their neighborhood. Spicer (Unseen Jungle) uses this excellent book to introduce scientific concepts of the water cycle, and the needs of plants and animals to young readers. VERDICT A strong choice for libraries needing books to support scientific nomenclature for young readers.—Debbie Tanner - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Other - 01/12/2026 Throughout this vocabulary-building tale, a child observes precipitation’s effects in the aftermath of a rainstorm. Bursting with varied-texture verdure, Lee’s lush mixed-media illustrations wordlessly set the scene over several spreads: while pale-skinned Grandma drinks a steaming brew, a brown-skinned child ventures into a yard, only to scamper in amid a visible downpour. Eventually, an initial line of text announces "THE RAIN IS OVER," and the two begin exploring, with bolded words labeling their discoveries. "Get a whiff of that after-the-rain smell, Lucy! It smells like summer green," Grandma declares about petrichor. As the exploration continues, Spicer Rice’s exclamatory dialogue helps introduce scientific concepts including evaporation, puddling, and humidity. The narration’s focus on inference-based definition seems primed to prompt discussion and close examination of the jungle-like artwork, which consistently captivates, mingling flora and fauna for an immersive experience. Further definitions conclude. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) - Copyright 2026