Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2025 Gr 1–3—Even today, people who fall outside of the binary spectrum of sexuality have difficulty in many aspects of their lives, but in the earlier parts of the 20th century in the United States, things were even more challenging. Luckily, there were ways that people could come together and be themselves, even when the outside world was less than accommodating. To do this, people would ask one another if they were a friend of Dorothy, and it was the answer to this question that would dictate future interactions among those individuals. This nonfiction narrative connects young readers with the very real tools with which people 100 years ago built bridges among one another. Using colorful imagery, straightforward, honest language, and an accessible storytelling structure, this book makes history feel more immediate and tangible to children. Each page depicts people of varying backgrounds as they interact with one another in both joyful and frightening situations, highlighting the fact that even in the worst of times, people are able to come together and find opportunities to love being themselves. Best suited to elementary school-aged readers due to the complexity of the content, this book is one that will open minds and hearts to the realities of LGBTQIA+ people in the U.S. VERDICT This nonfiction picture book is a positive addition to library collections with its inclusion of information about LGBTQIA+ history for young readers.—Mary R. Lanni - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Other - 01/13/2025 Straightforwardly detailing how LGBTQ+ people have long found each other via verbal and visual cues, this approachable, engaging work is a primer on both queer history and how "learning about the ways we survived in the past could help people in the future." Succinct text from Lukoff (There’s No Such Thing as Vegetables) delves into the sociopolitical history of queer signal "friend of Dorothy." During a time when U.S. laws "made it illegal to be gay," undercover spies from the U.S. military heard about the phrase-and, believing Dorothy to be a real person, began searching for her ("How did she know all these gay men? Why did she know them? And how could they get her to reveal those secrets?"). Expressive, bright-hued portraiture from Hastings (Big Wig) visualizes decades of history alongside possible origins of the title phrase, including actor Judy Garland’s Wizard of Oz character and writer Dorothy Parker ("known for being clever and grouchy"). Together, the creators assuredly demonstrate that "people always know how to find each other. And when it isn’t safe to be out as yourself, you can always create ways to learn who your friends might be." Characters are portrayed with various abilities, body types, and skin tones. A concluding note reflects on terms used. Ages 4-8. Author’s Agent: Saba Sulaiman, Talcott Notch Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US. (Apr.) - Copyright 2025