Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/01/2019 PreS-Gr 2—Ernestine lives with her mama on a remote farm in the Great Smoky Mountains, where they are waiting for Daddy to return from World War II. Ernestine helps around the farm, but, most of all, she keeps watch over Mama, who is very near giving birth to twins. Ole Peg is the heartiest cow around, and when their nearest neighbor needs milk to feed her children breakfast, five-year-old Ernestine sets off with two jars to share. She doesn't share with the skunks, whistle-pigs, and raccoons along the way, but by the time she arrives, she drops one of the mason jars and watches helplessly as it rolls down the hill. Grateful for even the one surviving jar, the neighbors sit down to breakfast when the oldest boy turns up with the errant milk jar. Its lengthy tumble has turned the milk into butter! This refreshing book shows neighbors caring for one another and even the smallest children doing their part. The illustrations portray the beauty of the mountainous terrain and are deftly rendered in ink and watercolor. The endpapers display the Milky Way, which Ernestine would see most nights. When Ole Peg is being milked, she is disproportionate to the barn and the people, which is jarring. The starry endpapers emphasize how we are all one in this great world. Ernestine's private Milky Way is the path she follows daily delivering her milk. VERDICT A lovely read-aloud that teachers can use to introduce the historical era, milk's connection to butter, and so much more.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/01/2019 Ernestine and her mother, who is pregnant with twins, are keeping their North Carolina mountain farm going while her father is away fighting in WWII. When another family has an urgent need, little Ernestine, only five years old, finds the courage to make her way to the neighbors’ house to help. Viewing the constellations comforts Ernestine, knowing that her faraway father can see the same stars. The somewhat serious story gets a welcome addition of playfulness as Ernestine begins the trek. She hears a snuffling sound on the path, which she imagines might be a wolf. Instead, it’s a family of skunks. A “fearsome grunta-grunta-gruntin” is not panthers but rather a group of “whistle-pigs,” or groundhogs. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations contain a wealth of detail about the rural setting, communicating specifics of the terrain, wildlife, plants, and way of life. An author’s note includes instructions for making butter and cornbread, two items that are central to the story. Based on the reminiscences of a real person, this story has humor and heart. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.