Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2025 Beginning with the declaration “We can’t be late today,” traffic jams the Seogang Bridge on a morning blustery with rain. Glimpsing a tiny kitten darting frantically among the cars, commuters fret about its dangerous situation, but no one stops to help. After scenes of worried glances and slanting rain, one car finally stops; a boy and his mother listen for—and finally rescue—the mewing kitten. Translated from Korean, the spare text shifts between first- and third-person perspectives, both maintaining a slightly emotional distant voice. Art by award winner Lee effectively evokes the morning’s mood with atmospheric charcoal strokes, lines of rain-slicked blue, and dynamic layouts emphasizing the pulse of rain, traffic, and emotion. Expressionistic figures and cleverly fragmented panels heighten the tension of the kitten’s plight, while hand-lettered dialogue and sound effects in overlapping vignettes convey the collective worry and helplessness of the commuters. Drawn from personal experience, Huh’s English-language debut is a quiet, relatable reminder to slow down for kindness—likely to resonate most with adult readers or older children, especially cat lovers and city dwellers. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.