Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 04/28/2025 A diminutively scaled narrator reflects on what it means to be a "big kid" in this straightforward account of overcoming first-day fears. On an opening spread, the protagonist expresses their impressions of older youths: "When the big kids stand outside, they make looooong shadows. Those shadows stretch until I think they might reach out and get me." And on "Buddy Day," the nervous child shirks from the seemingly enormous figures until reluctantly greeting a persistent-and friendly-buddy. Brown’s painterly digital renderings add visual variability with textures throughout scenes that abundantly amplify the size disparity between the small younger students and the oversize older kids. But while the visuals seem to justify the child’s overwhelm, Going’s text reveals a reassuring story about the many ways an older pal can be a source of assistance. The protagonists are depicted with brown skin; background characters are presented with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 4-8. (July) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 05/02/2025 K-Gr 4-Before this energetic tale begins, vibrant digital illustrations show a diverse group of children heading from a yellow bus toward school. Both fear and smiles adorn their faces, but it's the white space surrounding them that resonates as these kids enter a great unknown. The next page introduces an enormous "big kid" who, friendly wave aside, literally blocks the sun. The tiny "little kid" then starts the story by noting all the ways big kids make him feel small—their big voices, stomping feet, and slapping hands; even the shadows of the big kids "stretch until I think they might reach out and get me." Despite initially wanting to hide from his big kid buddy, the little kid quickly warms as his buddy shows him around. The text is specific and relatable, but it's the lived-in vibrancy of the school and its inhabitants, the exaggerated difference in the kids' sizes, and the shifting perspective that create the emotional resonance. VERDICT Big payoff for a "little kid" starting school with a very big buddy makes this a winner for first day read alouds. Highly recommended.—Rebecca Kirshenbaum - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 07/01/2025 On his first day of school, a child happily rides the school bus with his neighbors; upon arrival, however, he’s overwhelmed by the sight of so many big kids. He feels small among the older children, but his school uses a buddy system to welcome newcomers. Gathered in the gym, the youngest students soon meet their older buddies, who guide them through the day. A big kid waves at the little boy, and he bravely waves back. When they meet, he notices his buddy’s big grin. The older boy helps the younger one in the cafeteria and the library. Later, on the playground, the young boy sits on his buddy’s shoulders and slams a basketball through the hoop, saying, “Now I’m a big kid, too.” In the colorful digital illustrations, Brown occasionally exaggerates the kids’ sizes to emphasize the younger boy’s distress. First-day-of-school picture books traditionally begin with a young child’s fears and end with a good experience, but few conclude as joyfully as Going’s story of timidity overcome with the aid of a new friend’s efforts. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.