Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 01/06/2025 Making their English-language debut, married duo Ohnari and Hata tell the story of a young person’s encounter with a summer rainstorm. One scorching day, "the ground’s burning hot," the sun casting brilliant light and sharp shadows as thunderclouds roll in. The rain begins ("BADA-BADA-BADA. PLIP. PLIP. BADA"), dripping on the child’s big yellow umbrella. "My umbrella’s a drum!" the East Asian-cued protagonist exclaims as text renders enthusiastic onomatopoeia in bright yellow type whose size conveys volume. The rain becomes a downpour, and the sounds intensify. "There are so many sounds. The rain is singing!" the child says. A new spread shows the action amid insect-covered greenery in which the raindrops become size-distorting lenses. Water splashes up as the figure relinquishes the umbrella, jumping in puddles and raising their face to the deluge. Soon, the shower is over, and the child finds a way to re-create the event indoors. Spreads and text voice the energy and joy of perceiving a storm as a part of the world that’s very much alive: "Everything’s sopping wet. But sopping wet feels good." Ages 3-6. (Mar.) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 05/01/2025 Toddler-K—It's rare that a book can capture all five senses so intensely. A joy to read aloud, this book follows a young boy as a rainstorm commences. His senses open and blossom in the pouring rain, and he comes to view the storm as a close friend, someone who he looks forward to seeing again even as the rain ends. Translated from the Japanese, this book is perfect for read-alouds and can be viewed as performance literature for story hours or in the classroom. It's filled with plips, plops, splooshes, and pleks, all of which work together to create a raucous verbal symphony. The story and artwork entice young readers to perceive the rain as an invitation to engage the natural world as one would engage with a companion, and to let loose one's own innate sense of playfulness. The artwork truly gushes happiness. Joy is expressed not only in the child's character, but in the rain and water itself. Scenes in which the character is immersed in intense, falling rain are the most evocative. Young readers are going to want to play in the rain—well beyond puddle-hopping, this book embraces and centers nature in our lives. VERDICT Lots of fun! Readers and educators will never look at rain in quite the same way again. Highly recommended.—Benjamin Ludwig - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.