Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 02/03/2025 When the child narrator of this memory-anchored picture book encounters the body of a blue whale on a beach, the child’s reactions occupy a new space ("I don’t always know the name for every feeling"). The child’s internal processing, and their papa’s knowledge about the natural world, make it easy to imagine the animal’s life ("Blue in blue,/ singing songs down deep"). Moody spreads by Schu (Star and the Maestro) echo the curves of the whale’s body in the swells of sand dunes and waves rippling ashore. In a second act, the child, having encountered another loss, views the whale’s skeleton reassembled as a museum exhibit, a visit that brings past energies to mind. The child greets the whale’s skeleton and senses a response: "from very far away,/ I hear the whale singing," writes Yardi (the Coral Keepers series). This unexpected moment spotlights ways in which life inspires awe, and death summons anchoring memories and emotional intimacy. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4-8. Author’s agent: Erin Casey Westin, Gallt & Zacker Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Chad W. Beckerman, CAT Agency. (Apr.) - Copyright 2025

Booklist - 04/01/2025 This book is partially about the wonders of blue whales and partially about reckoning with grief. The opening is startling: a little girl and her father, on a walk near the ocean, see an enormous beached blue whale. The girl is fascinated by the whale and how it used to live and sing but now doesn’t. When her father dies, the girl is left with more feelings and thoughts she cannot name. The digital illustrations offer startling lighting effects and capture the immensity of sea and sky and whales. Eventually, the girl learns that the blue whale is now being exhibited at the natural-history museum nearby. She visits and even stands inside the whale skeleton, tapping on the bones. She realizes there are things she will never know but that it’s wonderful to keep exploring mysteries. Yardi reveals in an author’s note her lifelong fascination with the Blue Whale Skeleton exhibit at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.