Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 11/01/2025 K-Gr 2—An everyday errand takes a turn for the unexpected in this endearingly silly family story from the creator of the "Chicken Little" series. When they run out of bananas, a light-skinned girl with red hair and her mother are forced to do something neither of them particularly enjoys: go food shopping together. Mom is soon distracted, and the daughter sets off on her own, blithely unaware of the ensuing storewide search. The narrative is packed with a surprisingly varied range of themes—child versus adult perspectives, trying out independence, getting lost in public, making amends—but Wedelich skillfully ties them together with deft comedic timing and heart. Her ink, watercolor, pencil, and digital illustrations are loose, wiggly, and full of slyly funny details, chief among them a grocery store with the truly inspired name "Oinkly Doinkly." The book's visual language is supported by appealing cartoon elements: motion lines, written sound effects, tiny hearts, stars, and rainbows that underscore the protagonist's peppy enthusiasm. Wedelich views both parent and child with a worldly mix of sympathy and dry amusement. In a sequence of chuckle-worthy vignettes, the two engage in a back-and-forth negotiation on food whose packaging allows readers to glimpse them from each other's perspective (the mother holds up a box with the brand name "Horribly Healthy," while the daughter's bag of snacks boasts, "A cavity in every bag!"). The author clearly understands these battles, frustrating from the inside, baffling from the outside, and offers a welcome dose of hilarity to guide readers through them. VERDICT An irresistibly witty look at modern parent-child dynamics, sure to delight at read-alouds.—Jonah Dragan - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 11/01/2025 A pilgrimage to the grocery store in search of bananas turns into multiple adventures in this charming, very relatable picture book. Though the story begins with the young protagonist and her mother agreeing grocery shopping is nothing but a chore, when she takes charge of the shopping herself, she finds excitement in her newfound agency. Though some missteps and miscommunication lead to a bunch (multiple bunches) of bruised bananas, everything works out well (and deliciously) in the end. Wedelich packs a lot into this short narrative, from a parent's anxiety about a missing kid to making a good situation out of a bad one to the healing power of baking. The colorful, buoyant artwork in ink, watercolor, and colored pencil gleefully captures the chaos, particularly the protagonist's bounding energy and personality as she makes the most of her grocery-store freedom. Both kids and their caregivers will easily recognize the spectrum of emotions on display in this playful, entertaining picture book. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.