Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 08/01/2018 K-Gr 3—Rhoda loves to visit her grandparents every weekend. She and her grandfather, Toppy, spend time at their favorite places. At the American Museum of Natural History, Toppy shows Rhoda through the museum where they stop and look at Toppy's paintings. Rhoda's grandfather turns out to be Charles R. Knight, world-renowned wildlife artist. Rhoda loves to listen to him talk about the animals he's studied and painted. He's as good a storyteller as he is a painter. As a boy, Toppy loved to draw and he spent hours learning about animals so he could draw them. Despite poor eyesight that worsened over time, he never gave up on his dream. After their time at the museum, Rhoda and Toppy go back to the house to have dinner with Grandma Nonnie. Toppy works on his book about drawing animals. Even though he can barely see, he continues to pursue the craft he loves so dearly. Combining the talents of Kerley with the experiences of Kalt, along with the art of Stephens and Knight himself, makes for a powerful book. VERDICT Not only is this a story of the tender relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter, it's also a powerful story of following one's dreams and passions, despite life's challenges. A first purchase for most libraries.—Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 12/15/2018 Rhoda loves going to the American Museum of Natural History with her grandfather Toppy, but this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill grandparent story: Toppy is Charles R. Knight, renowned wildlife illustrator, and Rhoda, his real-life granddaughter, contributes her memories of Toppy, along with a portion of his life story, to this winsomely illustrated picture-book biography. Toppy always loved drawing, and he refused to let his failing eyesight get in the way of his art. His studies of animals at the Central Park Zoo came in particularly handy when he was called upon to imagine what prehistoric creatures might look like based solely on their fossilized skeletons. Stephens’ blocky, brightly colored illustrations depict Rhoda and Toppy in a pleasantly naive style, which is a lovely contrast to Toppy’s own fine-lined, realistic drawings, which appear periodically. An empowering message about following one’s dreams punctuates the story, and an author’s note offers more background on Knight’s life and work, including additional reproductions of his wildlife drawings. An inviting peek at the life of a lesser-known artist. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.