Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 01/01/2017 The story opens in modern-day Amsterdam, with drivers looking out for cyclists, and bicycles outnumbering cars and trucks on the roads. Back in the 1970s, though, vehicle traffic made cycling perilous on Amsterdam’s crowded streets. Maartje Rutten, a young mother, joined by her friends and their children, engaged in peaceful protests that spread throughout the Netherlands, promoting measures that would make streets safer for cycling. Gradually changing the country’s laws and its road culture, their efforts began a movement that continues throughout the world today. Drummond, whose earlier environment-related picture books include Energy Island (2011) and Green City (2016), tells a true story that offers a bit of dramatic tension as well as broad relevance and child appeal. The appended author’s note, illustrated with photos, describes visiting Amsterdam and meeting Rutten. Illustrated with breezy, expressive drawings and colorful washes, the informative text flows well, narrating the story, explaining what made the roads bike-friendly, and briefly explaining how cycling benefits cities. A heartening picture book about bicycles, activism, and social change. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 02/01/2017 K-Gr 3—Veteran nonfiction children's author Drummond presents yet another engaging tale about community action leading to change. This title relates how Amsterdam became a world-renowned city of bicycles. Bicycles had always been abundant in the city because they were affordable. But in the 1970s, the economy grew and so did the number of motor vehicles on the roads, while bicycles rapidly became outnumbered. Some people started protesting, including Maartje Rutten. Then, in 1971, Dutch journalist Vic Langenhoff wrote an impassioned article about the more than 500 children who had died that year in traffic and bicycle accidents, including his own daughter. That article roused the entire country to the dangers of mixing bikes and motor vehicles without laws, and the need for regulations to protect cyclists. The persistence of Rutten, other avid cyclists, and community activists, as well as an oil and gas shortage, eventually encouraged political leaders to support city and community bicycle laws. The text is well written, engaging, and concise. Words are scattered throughout the illustrations, enhancing the visual experience. The bright cartoon-style ink and color washes, with flowing lines, create the impression of movement, which is well suited to the subject matter. Appended are an author's note, a bibliography of additional resources, a short pictorial list of famous cyclists, and a brief pictorial glossary of types of bicycles. VERDICT An intriguing nonfiction picture book to augment the community action section and for casual reading.—Gretchen Crowley, formerly at Alexandria City Public Libraries, VA - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.