Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/08/2022 K-Gr 3—People of various skin tones in old-fashioned dress are separated by the high thorn hedge between their two kingdoms, Arbor and Pomosa. Arbor has all of the trees (and thus firewood), while Pomosa has all the wheat and dairy cows. Hearing their parents' wishes for what lies on the other side of the hedge, children sneak across and steal what they need; to put an end to the thefts, each king sends to China for a dragon to guard his country. The dragons come—one male, one female—but they have their own agenda, and when they fight, people on both sides realize their folly. The wise but exhausted dragons are attended to and the kings are sent packing. Told and illustrated in traditional European fairy-tale style, the moral of the story is didactically laid out: Fighting is wrong, sharing is good. VERDICT A tale equally suited for story hour entertainment or used in the folktale curriculum.—Jenny Arch - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 11/01/2022 Neighboring kingdoms clash over the division of resources until two dragons, intended to bring devastation, deliver peace instead. Arbor has its fill of lush forests, flora, and fauna; Pomosa raises bountiful grains and milk cows that thrive in fertile fields. Each kingdom covets what the other enjoys, and local children, who hear their parents’ envy, sneak across the “high thorn hedge [that] separated the two territories” to steal the other kingdom’s resources. Furious “kings threw tantrums and shook their fists at one another,” but the dragons they fetch from China for protection ultimately spark sharing among the citizens. The traditional sensibility of this story, originally published in Great Britain, seems fitting of its prolific author of classic retellings. The sprawling, intricately detailed illustrations make especially great use of the gutter and white space. Unfortunately, eclectic wardrobes veer into ethnic stereotypes, and the dragons depicted are winged and Western, not the more serpentine and wingless Eastern creatures that would hail from China. A pacifistic parable championing collaboration, with a few missteps in the visual messaging. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.

Booklist - 11/01/2022 Neighboring kingdoms clash over the division of resources until two dragons, intended to bring devastation, deliver peace instead. Arbor has its fill of lush forests, flora, and fauna; Pomosa raises bountiful grains and milk cows that thrive in fertile fields. Each kingdom covets what the other enjoys, and local children, who hear their parents’ envy, sneak across the “high thorn hedge [that] separated the two territories” to steal the other kingdom’s resources. Furious “kings threw tantrums and shook their fists at one another,” but the dragons they fetch from China for protection ultimately spark sharing among the citizens. The traditional sensibility of this story, originally published in Great Britain, seems fitting of its prolific author of classic retellings. The sprawling, intricately detailed illustrations make especially great use of the gutter and white space. Unfortunately, eclectic wardrobes veer into ethnic stereotypes, and the dragons depicted are winged and Western, not the more serpentine and wingless Eastern creatures that would hail from China. A pacifistic parable championing collaboration, with a few missteps in the visual messaging. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.