Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 10/14/2024 After a day of bickering, a dragon-led dream-time outing offers nighttime tranquility to two human siblings and others. In extended second-person passages, Schotter describes "a rustle and a whirrrrr. Wings at your window? Your own special dragon could be calling." A ghostly-blue beast named Nuri whisks the pale-skinned protagonist aloft to a "Secret Gathering." En route, comets pen messages and stars are roasted like marshmallows in dragons’ fiery breath. The meetup initially proves quarrelsome, but when a dragon proclaims "PEACE NOW," it inspires the participants, portrayed with various skin tones, to unfurl their own benevolent messages ("No more shoving/ Just loving") and to send "kindness to the earth and sky." Scattered with multicolored stars, Le’s inky, unlined renderings seem to twinkle, and the dancing beasts’ tails become luminous northern lights. An invitation ("Imagine...") closes out the earnest expedition after the child tells family about the group’s harmonious vision. An author’s note includes further info about dragon lore. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) - Copyright 2024

Booklist - 01/01/2025 After an “angry day, with way too much pinching, poking, and pushing,” two quarreling siblings head to bed. Clad in red pajamas with a spiky hoodie and long tail, the older child, who is denoted as “you” throughout the second-person narration, receives a visit from a friendly winged dragon named Nuri who extends an invitation to “come fly.” In Le’s fanciful, atmospheric digital illustrations, comet trails spell out Hi and Hola on “the blackboard sky.” Kids from around the world, riding their personal dragons, convene at “the Secret Gathering.” When fiery fights break out, a Sky Dragon named Cielo intervenes and quells the quarrels by commanding “PEACE NOW!” Using magic sticks, all the children write signs extolling peace and kindness: “Make a friend, “Shanti, “No more shoving / Just loving.” At journey’s end, Nuri encourages the protagonist to share and live the dreamy message. An author’s note offers some dragon legends from around the world. An imaginative nighttime rendezvous that delivers lessons in cooperation and conflict resolution. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.