Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/01/2024 Gr 1–4—The latest title in Rappaport's highly successful "Big Words Book" biography series focuses on Barack Obama. Using quotes to guide the narrative, the author captures the childhood and early influences on the life of the future president as he faced multiple moves, family changes, and racism as a multiracial young person growing up in Indonesia and Hawaii. Grappling with his identity and finding his place in the world are clearly detailed as Obama grows up and moves to the mainland of the United States for college and law school. His desire to make the world a better place is illustrated in his dedication to community activism in Chicago and then throughout his political career. His own words are used to infuse the text with honesty and purpose; this use of quotes from President Obama elevates the text and adds the expected depth that characterizes this outstanding series. Illustrations evoke warmth and a sense of purpose with lush colors and emotional tones. Source notes encourage further exploration of this highly influential figure in history. VERDICT A very successful biography that portrays a purpose-driven life fueled from Obama's early years to the White House; the text captures the energy and passion of a man who broke barriers and changed history.—John Scott - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 11/01/2024 *Starred Review* Rappaport, whose book Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. won a Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, offers a sensitive biography of Barack Obama that focuses on his quest for belonging, first for himself during a challenging childhood and then for all people. In this telling, Obama has a mentally stimulating childhood (his mother teaches him about civil rights leaders and his culture; his stepfather builds a mini zoo in the yard that includes two baby crocodiles and an ape). But young Obama also has an absentee father and an aching need to find his identity, especially acute when he's bullied for being Black at a predominantly white school. Rappaport’s thematic through line is how Obama forges his identity and purpose by studying the works of Black civil rights leaders and putting their precepts into action, serving as a community organizer, Illinois state senator, U.S. senator, and POTUS. The illustrations, done in oil glazes over an acrylic medium, are richly textured and spotlight Obama’s struggles and growth by highlighting his own words, using different text and colors on the page. An excellent successor to the legacy of Big Words books, marked by titles that introduce young readers to sophisticated vocabulary and ideas. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.