Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 08/01/2025 K-Gr 2—Family tradition and communal living are the themes that carry this heartwarming narrative. An unnamed child narrator wakes up in the arms of their mother and offers a tour of the family home, introducing the many relatives who reside there. Though the location of the house isn't specified, the family is unquestionably Mexican. The child is very much aware that the house has been home to many generations. Each family member has a "special place" within the house, and on the last page the narrator concludes that the house itself is the child's own special place. However, the final image shows this child and the mother in an embrace, suggesting that home is really where family is. There's little in the way of plot, here. Rather, the book is a celebration of the value and joy of living in the same home as one's extended family and ancestors. Living closely with one's extended family may be a new idea for many young readers, but this book makes it healthy, natural, and desirable. This book could be used very successfully in classroom units studying family traditions and will make for a grand one-on-one read-aloud. VERDICT While not an essential purchase, this celebration of the joy of extended family will make some children wish they were part of a large group with lots of traditions.—Benjamin Ludwig - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Other - 08/18/2025 A narrating child feels a shared residence come alive one morning in this connective picture book that follows a household’s rhythms. At breakfast, the Latinx family gathers, dancing, sharing food, and connecting. The house, built by relations and inhabited by multiple generations, holds mementos of late loved ones. Acknowledging the presence of those ancestors in the home, the narrative gently reflects on the comforts and challenges of living with a large family, and the need for each individual to have their own "special place." Even the building itself seems to live and breathe: "Doors open and close like a yawn. Floorboards creak like a big good-morning stretch," Kemp writes. Swirls of warm pinks and purples float through Mora’s loosely rendered multimedia scenes of everyday life, conveying the family’s deep bond with one another and with their home. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) - Copyright 2025