Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/04/2024 PreS-Gr 3—An early morning wake-up call is an exciting adventure for the young narrator here, who goes with Father on a horseback ride through the usually busy city where they live. After greeting and caring for their horses, the pair saddle up and ride, relishing the quiet and each other's company, especially Daddy's stories about riding when he was little. The beautiful sunrise reveals other people out, who smile and wave at the pair. It's a wonderful example of a narrative about a family doing interesting things together in their community. The Afro-Panamanian community ties are evident and will provide opportunities for some readers to compare and contrast this experience to their own. It would also make an excellent mentor text for narrative writing. Vividly hued oil paintings are a perfect accompaniment to the text, adding visual details and cultural elements to the story. The pictures also reflect a deep love between the father and child as well as for the horses. VERDICT This is a lovely depiction of a parent sharing their culture with their child in a way that will feel refreshingly new and happily familiar.—Debbie Tanner - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

School Library Journal - 10/04/2024 PreS-Gr 3—An early morning wake-up call is an exciting adventure for the young narrator here, who goes with Father on a horseback ride through the usually busy city where they live. After greeting and caring for their horses, the pair saddle up and ride, relishing the quiet and each other's company, especially Daddy's stories about riding when he was little. The beautiful sunrise reveals other people out, who smile and wave at the pair. It's a wonderful example of a narrative about a family doing interesting things together in their community. The Afro-Panamanian community ties are evident and will provide opportunities for some readers to compare and contrast this experience to their own. It would also make an excellent mentor text for narrative writing. Vividly hued oil paintings are a perfect accompaniment to the text, adding visual details and cultural elements to the story. The pictures also reflect a deep love between the father and child as well as for the horses. VERDICT This is a lovely depiction of a parent sharing their culture with their child in a way that will feel refreshingly new and happily familiar.—Debbie Tanner - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 06/01/2024 *Starred Review* Saddle up for the absolute joyride of this exuberant father-daughter adventure, perfect for fans of My Papi Has a Motorcycle (2019) and G. Neri. Dad wakes the young girl long before dawn, the strength of their bond and mutual excitement as palpable as the promise of the day. They cross the city first on a motorcycle, through “a new kind of quiet” while “the sky is midnight black, and the stars are still twinkling,” to reach a ranch where their horses await. “But today we ride together, and today I get to ride on the street, like a cowboy.” Through a seamless melding of lyrical text and high-spirited full-bleed illustrations, the pair sets out with sheer delight on their neighborhood horseback ride. Using oils on watercolor paper, Esperanza (Boogie Boogie, Y’all, 2021) renders this memorable multigenerational “‘just us’ time” story through euphoric colors and dynamic movement; the portraiture—both human and horse—particularly transfixes. Nods to the family’s Panamanian roots pepper the text and are included in visual touches like Abuelita’s coffee cup and a horse’s mola blanket. Landmarks in their vibrant urban community ground the family identity, while the horsemanship offers an extra layer of rarefied membership to the girl’s pride. A blue-ribbon pick for both story time and home use, sure to delight cowboys both real and imagined. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.