Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 05/05/2025 The sun is up, and it’s time for a farmer, portrayed with brown skin, to harvest her fields of corn. Along with her team, her trusted partner is a combine, "enormous and red./ Grumbling and growling,/ it creeps from the shed," writes Esbaum (Bird Girl). After "chains grab and gobble the autumn-dry stalks," the machine spits out the chaff and deposits "golden, glorious heaps" of corn (depicted in a luscious close-up that resembles a cross between honeycomb and a treasure chest’s contents) into an adjacent grain truck. They’re then dried in a machine that emits "billows of steamy, roast-corn-scented cloud" before the day draws to a close and everyone gathers for a big meal. Crisp, textural images by Crowton (In Our Garden) bring a hand-painted, toylike feel to scenes that steadily depict hard work. There’s something here for every reader: savory language in smartly scanning rhymes, detailed scenes of farm life, and a step-by-step tribute to the machines and processes that make the harvest possible. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A note about life on a corn farm concludes. Ages 4-8. Author’s agent: Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (July) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 07/01/2025 K-Gr 2—Readers tumble into a day-long journey at the farm, beginning at dawn and following the farmer as she drives the corn combine, and then following the corn as it whooshes into the massive grain dryer. The flap text overtly emphasizes the combine, but the book focuses on farming more than the truck featured on the cover. Text rhymes nicely and the rhythm moves along at a good clip with only a few syllabic hiccups, making this a pleasant read-aloud. Most stanzas begin with the repeated phrase "this is," for a soothing refrain. Color artwork employs a variety of perspectives during the harvesting day. Seeing the combine harvest corn from a bird's-eye view is especially striking. Accompanying the farmer, who has tan skin and long black hair, from dawn to dusk showcases Crowton's talent with lighting. While not collage, the artwork has the sturdy squareness of Eric Carle's animals blended with the soft faces of Raymond Briggs's human characters. Back matter includes more information about the many uses of corn and answers frequently asked questions about this life, such as, "Can a farmer be a woman?" Yes. VERDICT A solid choice for any collection and a fun story hour selection to boot.—Chance Lee Joyner - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 07/01/2025 At dawn, the farmer and her crew get to work: the combine, “grumbling and growling,” is started up as a team of adults and children gather. Lilting, rhyming text explains the specifics of harvest work, including identifying the parts of a combine—such as the spreader and the auger—and the process of drying and storing corn for storage. Vocabulary terms like chaff are smoothly woven into thoughtful descriptions of farming’s sensory experiences, such as cornhead chains that “grab and gobble the autumn-dry stalks” and “billows of steamy, roast-corn-scented cloud.” Cut-paper-style illustrations add depth and scale to the descriptions of farm life. As the sun sets, birds take flight as barn cats scatter, and the farm family settles in for a quiet night. Back matter gives details about corn varieties and uses, farmers, farm machinery, and the business of farming. Readers interested in farm life will be especially intrigued, of course, but the lyrical text makes this an inviting and enlightening read-aloud even for those who have not yet given much thought to where corn comes from. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.