Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 03/31/2025 The companionable relationship between a human protagonist and a blue heron forms the buoying heart of this wonder-filled work from Kaufman (All Are Welcome). First-person narration begins at daybreak as a brown-skinned child sporting galoshes carefully approaches regal avian Blue: "I tiptoe,/ rush.../ and pause...// ...echoing Blue’s stillness." Before long, the unlikely pair frolics among a shoreline’s reeds, rejoicing in play ("We are wild./ We are free..."). Multimedia art has a loose, calligraphic quality as scenes cast in inky blues are illuminated with light emanating first from a warm, buttery sun and then a glowing, oversize moon. At sunset, "with an incredible leap and a mighty flap,/ Blue takes flight," leading to a few hopeful beats and a starry, soaring adventure for both creatures that lasts until the child’s human body demands descent ("Up high, the air is thin and cold"). When it’s time to "say good night/ but not goodbye," visual details (a costume, a mobile, a stuffy) tucked into closing domestic scenes leave the evening’s events open to interpretation, making for a meditative wish-fulfillment fantasy that leans into both adventure and security. Ages 4-8. (June) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 05/01/2025 PreS-Gr 1—A boy with tan skin and curly hair runs out to the beach, where he befriends a great blue heron and the two frolic all day long in the surf. There is an enchanting simplicity to the narrative presentation, with the boy's bedroom window looking right out on the ocean and nary an adult in sight. The thoughtful design of the expressive mixed-media art creates a subtle progression, both temporal and emotional. Early on, playful vignettes appear against a sandy, speckled background the color of the dunes at the water's edge. Later, once the sun has set, immersive full-bleed illustrations take over, awash in the rich blue-blacks of the night sky and the sea. The powerful, kinetic composition of the images would sustain this story, even as a wordless picture book. Yet Kaufman's concise, well-chosen phrases ("We shriek, splash…and share. We are wild. We are free…chasing the afternoon sun") add a vital poetic dimension to the work. In a thrilling, joyous sequence that recalls The Snowman by Raymond Briggs, boy and bird soar through the night sky together before bidding each other a fond farewell at dawn's first light. Young readers may spot the heron-themed apparel in the boy's bedroom on the final spreads (a costume mask with feathered wings, a model dangling from the ceiling, and a stuffed toy) and debate its significance: Do these play items hint that the day spent with the bird was a mere flight of fancy? Or was it all real? Kaufman wisely leaves the answer a mystery, with a poignant final view of the boy from behind as he gazes out at a sliver of sun. VERDICT A stirring delight, recommended for all collections.—Jonah Dragan - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.