Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 08/30/2024 Gr 1–5—Just in time for the upcoming 2024 presidential election, Hudson and Tate combine their formidable talents to bring to young readers the historical context of the hard-won rights of Black people to vote. Tate's sepia-toned illustrations identify scenes of voting in 1969 as "longer-ago" history as the young male narrator recalls his mother's first time voting in the South after a lifetime of Jim Crow deprivations in Louisiana. The palette becomes enlivened by brighter primary colors as history moves through the 2008 election and into the present day; these beautifully convey Madear's feelings of joy and collective empowerment. Hudson, known for his prolific and dedicated lifetime of work ensuring that Black children can see themselves in books and that history is preserved and told in the most engaging ways possible for young readers, adds an author's note summarizing the larger historical context of the narration. Keeping pace is Tate, who movingly shares in an illustrator's note that details his familial connections to the story, making this picture book a useful one for older elementary students as well as those in middle school and high school working with picture books. VERDICT This timely and timeless selection is a perfect fit for every school library.—Jessica Fenster-Sparber - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 04/15/2024 In 1969, two young Black boys watch their mother, whom they call Madear, fix their breakfast while they listen to her tales of poll taxes, reading tests, and other unfair practices that kept her from voting in the past. But times have changed. They take the bus to city hall, where they recognize many friends and neighbors who have come to vote. The atmosphere is joyous. While Madear greets the many people she knows from church on their first trip to the polling place, she seems nervous when some white voters glare at her. Afterwards, Madear calls the day “a turning point.” In 2008, her grown sons drive Madear to the polling place. That night, they learn that Barack Obama will be the incoming president, a victory that allows them “to imagine a different future.” The illustrations, created with “digital watercolor and mixed media,” clearly express the characters’ shifting emotions. Told from the son Ralph’s point of view, the straightforward first-person narrative is engaging, and at the story’s end, the family’s joy is heartfelt and memorable. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.