Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/01/2025 An iconoclastic little cloud breaks away from the cloud formation that is massing for a tremendous thunderstorm in this comically thought-provoking story by the author of A Spark in the Dark (2022). Clouds that look like cotton balls with human faces hold a meeting to plan for the projected storm. The leader, Big Gray Cloud, rebukes the blurry-looking Little Cloud for lack of focus. It’s true: while the other clouds gather cats, dogs, buckets, and lightning bolts, Little Cloud just wants to see the land below, not drench it—and is brave enough to say so, right to the booming leader’s dark, glowering face. Little Cloud eventually drifts away, getting a closer view of the Earth. Little Cloud’s increasingly close inspection is wonderfully depicted by the full-color watercolor illustrations, showing in panels what a farm, for example, looks like from far and near, almost imitating a magnifying glass. An absorbing tale, bolstered by subtle messages about following your own path and being alive to beauty. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.