Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/04/2024 K-Gr 2—First-person narratives from lovable endangered species encourage children to learn more. In each book, an animal introduces itself in a conversational way—the quokka's fun energetic speech is especially endearing—and shares facts about its species. To keep readers engaged, each animal poses questions to children, such as the sloth asking, "How often do you poop?" or "Can you swim?" Each narrative also explains the dangers the animals face and what people are doing to help them. The mostly full-page illustrations are lovely, especially the perspective from the ground looking up into the sunlit leaves surrounding the sloth. Some readers might wish there were more detailed or close-up drawings of features mentioned (e.g., the sloth's claws or the pangolin's scales), or concrete examples of how kids can help. There are no works cited aside from acknowledgements at the end when the author and illustrator mention people who helped them. End notes include additional information about the species and why they're endangered. VERDICT Warm presentations of vulnerable species will appeal to young animal lovers in these read alouds.—Elissa Cooper - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

School Library Journal - 10/04/2024 K-Gr 2—First-person narratives from lovable endangered species encourage children to learn more. In each book, an animal introduces itself in a conversational way—the quokka's fun energetic speech is especially endearing—and shares facts about its species. To keep readers engaged, each animal poses questions to children, such as the sloth asking, "How often do you poop?" or "Can you swim?" Each narrative also explains the dangers the animals face and what people are doing to help them. The mostly full-page illustrations are lovely, especially the perspective from the ground looking up into the sunlit leaves surrounding the sloth. Some readers might wish there were more detailed or close-up drawings of features mentioned (e.g., the sloth's claws or the pangolin's scales), or concrete examples of how kids can help. There are no works cited aside from acknowledgements at the end when the author and illustrator mention people who helped them. End notes include additional information about the species and why they're endangered. VERDICT Warm presentations of vulnerable species will appeal to young animal lovers in these read alouds.—Elissa Cooper - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 08/01/2024 Greetings are in order for the two precious featured creatures in the Meet the Wild Things series (2 new titles). The author/illustrator couple Hayley and John Rocco, ambassadors for a nonprofit focused on conservation and rewilding South Africa, each work on the Meet the Wild Things series features an animal that is in need of conservation efforts. Lovely pencil, watercolor, and digital illustrations follow a specific species throughout its day-to-day activities. The narration addresses the reader in second person regarding how the creatures eat, sleep, interact, and ultimately, survive. Hello, I’m a Sloth features a narrating brown-throated, three-toed sloth that speaks on the sleepy, yet surprisingly helpful, nature of sloths. It mentions that algae and fungi in the fur of some sloths has been used to fight cancer, as well as defend the sloth from predators as a camouflage, and how humans are helping sloths in return through reforestation and building rope bridges between divided forests so that sloths can keep moving. Back matter features additional facts, notes on the endangerment of each species, and organizations working to save them. Each reads like a picture book, making a solid serial option for an informative, nature-inspired read aloud series in the classroom, library youth department, and beyond. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.