Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 02/01/2024 Gr 1–3—With endpapers of all the sticks and brushes one can use with a drum, this book opens right up to a promise that something fun and loud is about to happen. Then the title page appears where there are musical instruments and girls with curls. We see brushstrokes swirl, notes twirl, and sounds seem to rise from the paper. The book has not started, officially, but readers will be all in for the story of the Smith Sisters Orchestra: five strong, but they're considering adding a drummer—the sixth sister, Viola. She tries the snare, the tom-tom, the ride cymbal, and the hi-hats. She takes to the drums ferociously and the sisters entertain, adding two more siblings until they are eight sisters, traveling and performing across the Midwest in the 1920s. As the other sisters grow up and lose interest, Smith continues, always learning more, getting faster, playing through World War II, uplifting other female performers, and still drumming as a 100-year-old. As a biography, this captures the verve and brio of Smith's love for her art, delivering the facts with a rat-a-tat pace that parallels the life Robbins is covering. The pages are great fun; Chapman's expressive linework gives Smith's face an elasticity that always lets readers know what she's up to. It's practically a primer on drums and their parts. But our heroinr starts loud and ends loud. Every page is frenetic and there's no arc. Children will love the tumble through these pages, and then they'll be on to the next thing. VERDICT It's a gutsy biography that shouts to be loved, but it may be a very special one-time performance.—Ginnie Abbott - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 01/17/2024 This upbeat account of exuberant and innovative drummer Viola Smith is a lively newcomer to journalist and award-winning picture-book author Robbins’ noteworthy collection of biographies of women pursuing big dreams with passion and persistence. From her early years touring the Midwest in a family orchestra of eight sisters, Viola’s inventiveness and zeal propelled her to the pinnacle of artistry and acclaim as a twentieth-century percussionist. Smith’s long life of curiosity and collaboration as a performer was punctuated by her persuasive WWII–era advocacy for women’s acceptance as authentic professional musicians. As dynamic as Viola’s drumming, Chapman’s art vibrates with bright colors in retro palettes, with inventive compositions pulsating across the page and energetic hand-drawn words to amp up the rhythm. A note from the author, himself a trumpet player, enlarges on the rise of women as professional musicians in the last century, with a helpful glossary and resources. An engaging perspective on a vibrant life that inspires a reader to find her own unique beat. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.