Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 06/27/2025 K-Gr 2—Honoring the difficult past of American history while celebrating the strength and pride of the Black experience, this title focuses on the promise of the future and the fact, as Cooke's timeless lyrics tell readers, "I know a change is going to come. Oh yes it will." The art masterfully captures the heart and hope of the fictional and historical characters throughout the book. With a nod to the photographs of Gordon Parks, Smith has captured and added layers of depth to many historical moments that, along with the accompanying back matter, will have readers poring over the illustrations and learning through looking. The use of Cooke's text (first released in a recording from 1964) to capture this history is powerful and hopeful. On one particularly moving spread the text speaks of change; one side of the illustration features a mother and her five children holding various protest signs for housing and education rights and a call back to the broken promise of "40 acres and a mule." The opposite page shows the five children wearing graduation gowns, throwing their mortarboards in the air in front of their family-owned restaurant. Their mother is in the background. This title begs for multiple readings, along with scanning the included QR code that links to a recording of Cooke's iconic rendition of this anthem. VERDICT While honestly reflecting a difficult past, this title is full of hope and the promise of a future where change will come; an essential title for all libraries.—John Scott - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 01/01/2026 *Starred Review* Award-winning “artivist” Smith transforms Cooke’s 1964 anthem of hope into a stirring visual narrative that traces the Black American experience of the civil rights era through the eyes of a fictional photographer. In this newly imagined story, a young boy finds a camera by the river, and as he grows, his lens captures a world shaped by both racism and resilience. Vibrating with energetic brushwork and rhythmic layers of detail, Smith’s sweeping digital paintings follow his journey through moments of struggle and progress: signs enforcing segregation, mourners at the funeral of Medgar Evers, the crowds at the March on Washington, and the signing of the Civil Rights Act. Shifting palettes and dynamic compositions heighten the emotional urgency in each scene. Smith’s meticulous vision extends even to the typeface inspired by 1968 protest signs; set in shifting sizes, the text pulses across the pages, giving voice to the power of Cooke’s music. A resonant coda shows a young girl poring over the photographer’s prints, a heritage of both memory and hope. Followed by a spread identifying the many real events and figures woven into scenes aligning with the lyrics, notes by Smith and Cooke’s granddaughter reflect on the iconic song’s indelible impact on their lives. A profound and poetic work affirming the power of art to envision change—and to help make it happen. - Copyright 2026 Booklist.