Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 02/01/2020 Baby-Toddler–An interracial family consisting of two moms and a toddler bicycle through a busy summer day, offering invitations to readers to observe the world around them. Alizadeh's pencil and digital illustrations are vivid and inviting, and continually capture moments of affection from the excited toddler waking up his still-sleepy mom to their last bedtime kiss. From the soft butch aesthetic of one of the tot's mothers to the family photos on the wall depicting a pride celebration, the illustrations are specific and detailed. Tickles at the farm stand and waving to the panda at the zoo from their bikes give way to a quiet evening, cozy towel cuddles, and several bedtime books in a routine that will resonate with parents of young children. Manushkin's text imitates the nonsensical patter of a parent to a toddler, observing the world around them. The third line, "There are plenty of fish in the sea" follows the instruction to "Look up!". One of the final lines reads "There's a glow for each firefly too, a jump for each cricket, a bounce on my knee, and us to make a family." The rhyme scheme is inconsistent from verse to verse, which may present a challenge for reading aloud. VERDICT Alizadeh's loving illustrations of an interracial, two-mom family will fill a gap in most collections and circulate well in collections serving bikeable urban neighborhoods.—Amanda Foulk, Sacramento Public Library - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2020 Manushkin, author of the Katie Woo books, takes readers through a day in the life of two mothers and their toddler. As the trio take a leisurely bike ride on a sunny day, they stop to marvel at things both great and small, from the sky and sea to worms and frogs, and there’s plenty of time for tickling, peek-a-boo, and hugs in between. The text echoes the Bible’s “to every thing there is a season” in both mood and meter, except here it’s about “a buzz for each bug, and a breeze for each tree.” The family stops at the zoo, where everything has its place in a providential world. There’s grass for gazelles, bamboo for pandas, and finally, back at home for dinnertime, yummy noodles for the family. The day ends with the traditional bedtime rituals of bath, storytime, and falling asleep. Children will delight in the feeling of wonder brought out by Alizadeh’s cozy illustrations, and at the same time, be lulled by the hypnotic verse. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.