Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/01/2024 PreS-Gr 2—Smudge's family packs up the car and drives to the mountains for a picnic and a day in the great outdoors. His grandpa tells them that moss grows on the north side of trees and cautions him to stay on the trail because the paths are marked with trail markers and stones, but Smudge is a busy, playful child and moves the rocks as he frolics through the woods. He does not need markers, he claims. He is an explorer. Smudge ventures far away. It is not until he hears animals snorting and snuffling in the undergrowth that Smudge becomes afraid and realizes he is lost and alone. As fear sets in, Smudge tries to retrace his steps, but he is lucky his family is looking for him, too. When they reach each other, Mama, Grandpa, and Smudge work together to find the right path out of their predicament. Following the moss on the trees just as Grandpa taught them, they make their way back to the clearing and to where they left their car. Being lost isn't such a bad thing after all, if they are lost together. Pray uses subtle watercolors and colored pencils to capture the beauty of the surroundings and the facial expressions of each character. Smudge is shown as a brave adventurer and a bit of a troublemaker. Baby Willa appears sweet and angelic, and Oni the dog is playful and joyous. VERDICT An additional purchase, this is nevertheless a sweet book celebrating family, togetherness, belonging, and love.—Pamela Thompson McLeod - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 08/01/2024 In softly wobbly colored-pencil-and-watercolor illustrations, Pray opens her latest picture book with a cross-section view of a chaotic, bustling house filled with noisy animals, kitchen messes, energetic kids, and an exasperated mom preparing to depart for a visit to the woods. As the family wends up a mountain road, the tension doesn’t dissipate: a grumpy rain cloud follows their car while older sibling Smudge misbehaves in the back seat, and when they finally start their hike, Smudge pointedly refuses to listen and wanders off. Though this is the only literal moment of being lost, it’s clear that the family needs to find its way both back to the main path and to one another, and with the help of Smudge (who demonstrates he actually has been listening), they eventually do. Pray capably depicts the expressive faces and body language signaling the nerve-jangling havoc of the out-of-sync family, as well as the calming natural beauty of their surroundings. Adults will recognize familiar struggles, and kids will be heartened by impish, clever Smudge’s ability to solve a problem. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.