Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 07/01/2019 In this inspiring picture book, Johnson celebrates the many talented women who worked for Walt Disney Studios: writers, dancers, singers, chemists, pilots, and—of course—artists. Some of these women achieved greatness while working at Disney, such as Dorothy Ann Blank, one of the credited writers for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Others found fame later in life: Mildred Rossi, who did the special effects for Chernabog in Fantasia, also designed many famous Hollywood monsters. Some studied under Nelbert Murphy Chouinard, who agreed to teach Disney animators how to draw realistically when no man would. Bové channels Disney legend Mary Blair through her bright, playful illustrations. These career-oriented women are pictured hard at work—and happy! Their inkwells, sketches, and diplomas fly off their desks in a whimsical frenzy. Flowers and paintbrushes swirl around their smiling faces. Acute readers might be confused when the ethnicities suggested by the illustrations don’t always seem to match their real-life counterparts. Still, ambitious girls will learn that they, too, can follow their dreams when they embrace their smarts and creativity. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 08/01/2019 Gr 3–6—Johnson and Bové showcase 20 influential women of the world of Disney. Starting with the two Mrs. Disneys—Walt's and Roy's wives, the book takes readers from the studio's inception through the early 1980s. Johnson highlights each artist's particular strengths. For example, Mary Blair is referred to as a "Color Designer Extraordinaire" while Mary Costa is said to be the "Voice of a Princess." Notably, these wonderful Disney artists weren't all white. Gyo Fujikawa, who worked as lead artist within the Disney products sector, was a Japanese-American illustrator from California. Berta "Bea" Tamargo, who worked as an animator on Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, was born in Havana, Cuba. The charming illustrations are expertly rendered cartoons with a mid-century modern feel. Each biography features a photograph and a drawing of the artist. Most of the stories are given a double-page spread. Each spread has text written with a chirpy rhyme, which can wear a little thin. An appended time line goes from 1901, when Walt Disney was born, to his death in 1966. VERDICT This is a young readers' version of Johnson's Ink & Paint, an oversize, wonderful tribute to the women of Disney animation. Like the Disney universe itself, this pared-down version of the original is magical. A finely written and illustrated inspiration.—Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.