Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 11/10/2025 Collaborative recreation yields lessons about collective responsibility in this generative story. After Ms. Lee’s class runs out of imagined games on the 138th day of school, a student pulls an orange from his lunch box and ingeniously proposes, "What if this.../ were THE WORLD?" The concept takes off, but after the orange’s juicy slices prove insufficient for the group’s size, the kids decide they need "something bigger that can provide for everyone." They pick up a dodgeball, which works well until an older kid takes it. Next up, a tree provides for all "at the same time"-until the children’s collective weight alarmingly breaks off its limbs. Dialogue-driven action from Barr (The Upside Down Hat) successfully captures the spirit of playground politics, while thick chromatic outlining and light shading imbue radiant, rainbow-hued colored-pen and -pencil drawings by Ford (I Love Your Face!) with a boisterousness that aptly conveys the energy of the crowd’s exploits. Object by object, the youths seemingly develop a hands-on appreciation for how to create an equitable society, and a beatific close sees them opening their eyes to the vast world that already surrounds: "Then they played even better." Ages 4-8. (Feb.) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 12/12/2025 PreS-Gr 2—When the students of Ms. Lee's class discover that, on the 138th day of school, they have played every game they can think of during recess, a young boy pulls out an orange and proposes a "what if" game in which the orange represents the world. Everyone joins in and soon the orange becomes too small. A dodgeball is next, which gets stolen by a big kid, followed by a tree, which seems big enough until the branches snap. The students continue to search for new possibilities to represent the world, which becomes a game in and of itself, until finally a young girl suggests that the world itself is the world, which sets off a new plethora of possibilities. Lively, cartoonish pen-and-ink drawings in rainbow hues successfully convey the boisterous enthusiasm of the students and their diverse personalities. The students are portrayed in a variety of skin tones. VERDICT This enjoyable picture book offers a great conversation starter about cooperative play wrapped in subtle undertones about the importance of taking care of Earth.—Jessica Marie - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.