Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 10/01/2021 *Starred Review* This is an ode to a long-standing African American tradition of weekly family dinners at Granny’s house. Here the main character, a young boy sporting a high-top fade, learns that growing up means learning how to cook traditional family meals from Granny. He helps with the prep work that goes into cooking signature soul food dishes, like grating four types of cheese for mac ’n’ cheese; washing, soaking, and stripping turnip and collard leaves for greens; and cleaning ribs and chicken for the grill. All the while, the boy has a great time bonding with his grandmother. After everything is finally prepared, the family sits down to enjoy an elaborate soul food meal together. Esperanza’s vibrant illustrations are awash in saturated colors, photo-realistic facial expressions, and pronounced outlines, and they positively radiate this family’s joy and love for one another. When Granny proclaims, “That is the best grated cheese I’ve seen in all my life,” readers eyeing the mountain of delicious-looking cheese will certainly agree. Food-related words and onomatopoeia are called out in large, colorful fonts, adding to the reading fun. Appended notes from the author and illustrator add a personal touch to the story, and a mac ’n’ cheese recipe helps share the soul food love. For a literary feast, add Angela Dalton’s Ruby’s Reunion Day Dinner (2021) and Family Reunion (2021), by Chad and Dad Richardson. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 10/01/2021 K-Gr 3—On Sundays everyone rolls up to Grandma's house for a soul food feast of chicken, ribs and sausage, greens, mac 'n' cheese, and sweet tea. Not so much a story as a slice of life, this vividly illustrated picture book welcomes readers into an extended family's warm weekly ritual. Roles are divided by gender and age: Men watch football (apart from Grill Chef Roscoe Ray), women gather in the kitchen to prepare the food and set the table, and the kids play. This Sunday there's a change, as the young male protagonist takes on the role of sous-chef to his grandmother, grating endless blocks of cheese for the baked macaroni, rinsing off the greens, prepping the raw meat for the grill, and finally making the pitcher of sweet iced tea all by himself. Esperanza's brightly realistic oil paintings echo the warmth and humor in this extended family, and tantalize readers with images of the delicious food on the table. Each member of this Black family is individually characterized with fabulous hairstyles (Grandma's cornrows are purple) and fantastic outfits that include Afrikan print aprons and elephant slippers. Readers will want to join this happy, hungry family and partake of this feast; Bingham allows for that by providing the recipe for a delicious cheesy dish as well as tips for cleaning the grit from the greens. VERDICT A book that invites readers into an extended family's moment in time, this welcoming title should be on any shelf addressing family life, celebrations, and food.—Jane Barrer, United Nations International Sch., New York - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.