Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/01/2024 Gr 1–2—Togo, a Siberian Husky born in Alaska in 1913, led a dog team in the historic serum-run to save the lives of children suffering from diphtheria in Nome in 1925. A brutal blizzard that year necessitated the use of 150 dogs to relay medicine from the capitol to Nome over the course of five days. Potter's flat ink and watercolor illustrations place readers in the midst of the windswept snow plains and mountainous territory the teams of animals crossed under extraordinarily difficult conditions. The featured human in this story, musher Leonhard Seppala, a Norwegian immigrant, is centered in this historical narrative that takes place against a backdrop of whiteness. Diverse skintones do appear, but the illustrations do not indicate the fact that one-third of Nome's population at the time was Indigenous, nor does the text acknowledge the existence of anyone other than Seppala and the governor of Alaska at the time of the event. The author's note provides context and identifies fact and fiction without addressing the illustrator's choice to represent the Togo's eyes as icy blue. Togo's eyes were recorded as having appeared brown. VERDICT With the stated shortcomings, this title will be of interest to collections where tales of animal heroics are popular.—Jessica Fenster-Sparber - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 09/15/2024 Balto, who made the final delivery, is often the (furry) face of the 1925 dogsled relay that heroically carried desperately needed antitoxin serum across Alaska to battle a diphtheria outbreak in the dead of winter. Clever and spirited Togo, however, led the team that traveled a longer, more dangerous leg of the trip, and this straightforward but exciting account describes how he grew from a sickly pup to become a trusted lead dog. The serum run is explained in enough detail to make a gripping story without overwhelming readers with a wall of text, while simple watercolors set the scene of a frigid, unforgiving landscape with screeching owls and treacherous ice. The narrative integrates elements of Togo’s many adventures into this one journey, which may rankle some fact-checkers; ample back matter clarifies the time line and provides additional resources and information about dogsledding. Fans of heroic animals, epic journeys, and plucky upstarts will all find much to enjoy here—and children who are chided for being “too active” may recognize a kindred spirit. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.