Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 09/15/2025 An artist’s joy for photography resounds in this absorbing picture book biography of Imogen Cunningham (1883-1976), penned by granddaughter Partridge. The warmth-filled work emphasizes Cunningham’s childhood love of the outdoors and her close, supportive relationship with her father. Early forays into drawing and painting led to experiments with photography, in which Cunningham finally finds the artistic medium she’d been seeking: "There it was, right in the photographs, all the soft cadence of the poetry, all the beauty, all the feelings she carried deep inside her." Throughout digitally colored ink illustrations, Shimizu includes throwback textures such as Ben Day-like dots. Scenes of Cunningham draw on the artist’s actual photographs, some reproduced in back matter, while pensive text persuasively expresses how "people stood and stared and felt all the joy and longing and wonder that Imogen had captured." Extensive back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) - Copyright 2025

Booklist - 08/01/2025 Born in 1883 and drawn to nature and art as a child, Imogen Cunningham longed to recreate the beauty she saw in the natural world by drawing, painting, and photographing it. Eventually, she built a successful career in photography, a field where women were not expected to participate, much less excel. When an author is the grandchild of the person she has portrayed in a biography, readers may wonder whether family ties have affected the writer’s view of her subject. In this book, Partridge, an award-winning nonfiction writer, has researched Imogen Cunningham (her grandmother), organized the information, and presented it clearly. Partridge’s family stories about Cunningham as a child strengthen the narrative as well as readers’ appreciation for this talented photographer. Meanwhile, the author's childhood memories of her grandmother give readers an interesting perspective on Cunningham. Shimizu provides strong, pleasing ink drawings with digitally added colors. The back matter includes photos by Cunningham as well as family photos. A sensitive portrayal of a noteworthy American photographer. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.