Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 05/24/2024 K-Gr 4—Jackson, who passed away in 2019, pulls from his own experience for this gentle account of a fishing trip with a father who later goes to fight in a distant war. The trip is described in rich detail from the perspective of the boy as he sits on his father's lap to drive their truck, helps to pitch a tent, catches and guts a fish, and listens to night creatures under the stars. The boy thinks of this trip at the end of the story when it is winter and he is waiting for his father to come home from the war. Floca uses pen, ink, and watercolor to paint the landscape of a Michigan summer day. These thoughtful illustrations place the story most likely during World War II, but the story is relevant in describing the emotions of a child missing someone any time, for any conflict. VERDICT Although this quiet story may get lost in larger collections, it's a perfect text to use for personal narrative units.—Heidi Dechief - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/15/2024 *Starred Review* Tim recalls every detail of the camping trip he took with his father last summer. Sitting on Dad’s lap with his hands beneath his father’s on the steering wheel, they drove along Michigan back roads to a campsite in the woods, where they pitched their tent and dug a firepit. Fly fishing in the river, Dad caught two trout and whooped with happiness when Tim caught one, too. Later, he showed his son how to gut a fish and then cooked it. That night, while trying to spot an owl by moonlight, Dad praised Tim’s skill as a driver and a fisherman. It’s winter now; Tim misses his father, who’s away in “a far-away war.” As he waits with his mother for Dad’s return, he recalls their camping trip. Jackson, a notable children’s book editor and author, surely wrote from the heart in this story, which expresses emotions clearly and without sentimentality. Floca’s expressive pen-and-ink drawings, brightened with watercolor and gouache paints, illustrate the narrative with sensitivity to its tone and attention to period details. Though the beautiful illustrations place the action in the mid-twentieth century, the story transcends its setting and, in some sense, it speaks for all children missing a parent who has been called away for military service. A heartfelt, timeless picture book. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.