Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 06/23/2025 Dispensing with typical biographical details, this tender look at the life of beloved children’s book creator Arnold Lobel (1933-1987) launches with a defining moment: a serious childhood illness that kept Lobel home for an entire year, and his later sense that he was "a bit of an outsider, which was often hard on the inside." But this isolation also enabled Lobel to develop his powers of observation, grow as an artist, and read voraciously, and fueled his determination to become a storyteller. With economic, understated prose and gouache, pencil, and ink vignettes that nod gently to the subject’s own drawing style, Kastner (So Tortoise Dug) follows the author as adulthood finds him entering marriage and parenthood, becoming a frustrated artist in the corporate world, and eventually finding his way to work as a "professional daydreamer" who "trusted young readers with bold, beautiful words." The inspiration for his Frog and Toad series strikes during a family vacation in Vermont, when he notices that frogs "seemed to smile, as if caught in a pleasant daydream," while toads appeared "quite introverted and dyspeptic." By slowly connecting Lobel’s "outside" and "inside" selves, the work provides a powerful example for anyone navigating their own layered identities. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) - Copyright 2025

Booklist - 08/01/2025 *Starred Review* In her first nonfiction picture book, Kastner fashions an utterly charming biography of Arnold Lobel, creator of the classic children’s series Frog and Toad. The story begins during his childhood, when he was hospitalized for months. He entertained himself by reading books and drawing pictures, and he began writing stories as well. When he returned to school, the kids “were enthralled” with his stories, “until they weren’t.” Hurt, he withdrew into himself, but he continued to watch, listen, create stories, and draw pictures. He grew up, graduated from art school, married, and began writing and illustrating understated, amusing books that have entertained generation after generation of children. In addition to researching Lobel’s life and books, Kastner clearly appreciates his unpretentious, witty narratives and his sometimes-comical illustrations. The biography’s ending, “Thank you for the stories, Arnold. We are very pleased to have them,” speaks for everyone who remembers his books with pleasure. Kids will find Kastner’s art in this book to be reminiscent of Lobel’s illustrations. In the back matter, she addresses adults and older kids, offering more-detailed information about Lobel’s life and work (including a mention of his partner, Howard Wiener), a source bibliography, and a tale of how an encounter with an actual frog encouraged her to write this book. A welcome addition to library collections. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.