Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 02/01/2025 Gr 1–4—This book is a stirring and powerful celebration of Black boyhood with lyrical, rhythmic text and stunning watercolor illustrations. Readers are invited to experience the depth, beauty, and potential of young Black boys. The author's words, inspired by the legacies of Langston Hughes, Lucille Clifton, and W.E.B. Du Bois echo with pride, resilience, and a call for greatness, celebrating both the legacy of the past and the promise of the future. The rich, colorful artwork captures emotions in the complexity of Black boyhood with grace and dignity. This book is a vital addition to any library collection. It offers a profound counternarrative to the still pervasive, often limiting portrayals of Black boys in media and literature, providing a space for them to see themselves as strong, worthy, and full of possibility. In its empowering, joyful depictions of Black experiences, this book inspires, uplifts, and affirms the beauty of Black boyhood. VERDICT For public libraries, this book is an essential resource to celebrate diversity, promote positive representation, and engage readers in meaningful conversations about identity, joy, and the power of self-belief.—Susan McClellan - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 04/01/2025 Climbing to the top of a jungle gym in a park playground, a Black boy joyfully scales new heights. An unseen narrator lists negative societal rhetoric that seeks to drag down and denigrate: “Black boy, get out of those clouds. Don’t set your sights so high.” A staccato string of admonitions bears witness to the discrimination and violence experienced by Black people: “Don’t ask. Don’t tell. Don’t think. Don’t speak. Can’t kneel. Can’t stand. Can’t move. Can’t breathe.” Collier’s lush and expansive watercolor-and-collage artwork refutes these colonial commands, showing the child playing an African drum and rising above. The narrative tone then elevates, proclaiming truths such as, “Black boy, you are more than what the world can conceive.” Rich with imagery and symbolism, connections to ancestors abound in the stunning illustrations. The poetic text references the words and works of African American poets and civil rights activists Langston Hughes, Amiri Baraka, and W. E. B Du Bois. A moving and uplifting celebration of Black boyhood. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.