Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 06/01/2017 *Starred Review* Always more interested in what’s happening outside the school walls than in his classroom, Rodney has a reputation for goofing off. He’s not impressed to hear that the word of the week is “majestic . . . grand and beautiful,” or that his class will be visiting a park on Friday. After all, his mother has warned him to stay away from their neighborhood park, a small, uninviting triangle of yellow grass. But when Friday comes, the school bus takes his class out into the countryside. At their destination (perhaps a national park), he runs fast, climbs rocks slowly, calls loudly, watches quietly, and feels “more outside than he had ever been before.” On the ride home, he’s uncharacteristically still and silent–except for calling the park “majestic.” The well-phrased text shifts gears effectively in the field trip scenes, where brief, paired sentences focus tightly on Rodney’s experiences and let the illustrations work their magic. In a series of softly lit, beautifully shaded paintings, Cooper depicts Rodney as a likable black kid whose active curiosity and high energy find liberation in the park. Rodney’s teacher, Momma, his multicultural class, and his transcendent encounter with the natural world are subtly, expressively portrayed. A heartwarming picture book. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 07/01/2017 PreS-Gr 2—Rodney has trouble being inside and sitting still at school. Though he acts like a clown in his diverse classroom, the boy is also a careful observer of his urban environment, noticing small insects and birds gliding overhead. Rodney enjoys being outside but is less than thrilled when his teacher announces that the students are going to visit a park. The African American child imagines they will be going to the nearby small, seedy green space his mother forbids him to enter. On field trip day, Rodney is surprised when the bus leaves the city, travels through the countryside, and climbs high onto a mountain. For the first time in his life, the boy really feels "outside" as he explores nature and many of its wild wonders. Rodney discovers he can change from fast to slow or loud to quiet, depending on the situation. Illustrator Cooper uses his trademark oil wash technique to reveal views of Rodney's city, then depicts the beauty of a vast mountaintop park. The small boy's world is greatly enlarged by his unexpected joyful experience. Readers are left to hope that this is just the first of many eye-opening, and perhaps life-changing, adventures for the boy. VERDICT A lovely book to share one-on-one or with a class preparing for an outing.—Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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