Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 04/11/2025 PreS-Gr 3—Like any other kid, Afua has her first day of school, and she is very scarecited for it. Plus, she wants to look perfectly flute. Unfortunately, like most first days of school, things do not go perfectly for Afua. Her teacher mispronounces her name, making her feel sadbarrassed while also getting hangry. Luckily for her, she is spappy when someone asks her to sit with them at lunch, and she is able to correct her teacher on her name, so by the end of the day she is bravous and bired. Afua's journey through the first day of school is a good representation of what many students will find themselves in, and the clever wordplay adds a fun element to the story. Young audiences will enjoy working out the words and figuring out what they mean before Afua reveals them. The classroom has a great and diverse cast, playfully portrayed with bright, popping illustrations. The book also makes clever use of text design, creating emphasis through color and design on words of importance to Afua. The illustrations also help readers see the world as she sees it, both outside of her head and her inner thoughts. VERDICT Fun, humorous, and realistic, with a great representation of students and an emphasis on learning language in a fun manner, this book is a must-have for both libraries and classrooms. This should be the next great read-aloud.—Richard Winters - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Other - 04/28/2025 Vocab mash-ups propel this emotionally aware first-day-of-school tale. Narrator Afua, portrayed with brown skin, starts off experiencing emotions including "scarecited" ("scared and excited") and "shurious" ("shy but curious"). But roll call leads to Afua’s feeling "sadbarrassed" after the teacher mispronounces their name. As the day continues, further portmanteaus from Agostini capture the child’s reactions to slime-making in science and eating a mac ’n’ cheese lunch. Echoing the text’s emphasis on recombinatory approaches, brightly colored digital brushwork and handmade textures give Watkins’s blocky artwork a collage feel. And as the school day winds down, a "bravous" feeling ("brave but nervous. My heart is pounding fast!") precedes the protagonist’s correcting the teacher’s earlier error-a winningly reassuring resolution in a work that focuses on emotion-naming and empowerment. Background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 3-6. (June) - Copyright 2025