Bound To Stay Bound

Publishers Weekly - 03/02/2026 Per an author’s note, Sandu Budisan’s deeply personal picture book pays tribute to her grandparents’ home and garden in Romania. First-person prose describes "a country far away," where the narrator’s grandparents build a house by hand while enduring hardships imposed by an oppressive government. Presented as photos in a scrapbook whose pages are turned by a pale-skinned child, gently shaded colored pencil and watercolor illustrations chronicle the simple joy that fills the home as the family grows. "Days passed, as they do," and soon the grandparents’ offspring depart for a city. After the spare text alludes to political change, the tone shifts with the author’s remembrances of carefree, flower-filled summers. It’s a wistful telling that pinpoints the way place can house memories. Ages 4-8. (May) - Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly used with permission.

School Library Journal - 05/29/2026 PreS-Gr 3—A family home in Romania is beloved by generations. A couple in post-WWII Romania, with nothing but a plot of land to their names, builds a house where they can raise a family. They are very poor, but they dream of having a rose garden and a horse of their own. Eventually, they have two children, a boy and a girl, who grow up and move away to the big city, where conditions are also harsh. The events leading to the 1989 Romanian Revolution are only alluded to: "The country's whispers grew louder; the people cried out until they were finally heard." Once the country was free, the narrator describes how she visited her grandparents every summer and her hopes of bringing her own children there someday. Author-illustrator Budisan, who is the granddaughter of the original two characters, uses the concept of a person flipping through a scrapbook to present lovingly drawn images of the house and people, with other objects such as roses and photographs to add visual interest. The first sentence of the story sets up the initial historical perspective ("My grandparents lived in a country far away, where no one could have their own land, horses, or cows. And no one could have too many chickens. The new leader of the country took them away") and will prompt young readers to ask questions, but the candid author's note will be best filtered by an adult reader. VERDICT A sweet family story set against the backdrop of Romanian history.—Sue Morgan - Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2026 An adult narrator shares memories of her close-knit family’s Romanian homestead in this tender intergenerational picture book. Conversational first-person text pays homage to hardworking and resilient grandparents who “lived in a country far away” and, despite political oppression and many challenges, built a house “brick by brick, dream after dream.” Chronicling her lineage, the narrator recounts foundational moments from her mother’s youth, reminisces about her own joyful childhood vacations spent at the ancestral home, and wistfully vows, “One summer day, I will come to the old house with my own family.” Cleverly designed to resemble a cherished scrapbook album, delicate colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations present a wide array of photographs, ephemera, and keepsakes throughout the decades. Subtly showing the passage of time, the narrator’s hands are depicted turning pages, visibly growing older as the book progresses, accompanied by her young son’s hands in the final spreads. An author’s note offers the personal inspiration for this story and provides information about Romania’s history. A lovingly crafted homage to the importance of roots and home. - Copyright 2026 Booklist.