Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 12/09/2024 Citizen activism takes on industrial pollution in the Hudson River and makes way for whales to return to New York Harbor in this historical picture book. The whales themselves narrate, imparting the river’s arc from "clean and fresh and clear" to "sickly sweet." In digitally finished gouache and graphite spreads, Groenink paints increasingly polluted waters following colonial settlement. Next, humans, portrayed with various skin tones, take up the story; Castaldo conveys how "we protested, marched, and voted" until the Clean Water Act is signed. After cleanup begins, fish return; then, finally, so do whales. A dramatic aerial view from behind the Statue of Liberty shows a whale approaching a tour boat full of passengers. Though the central narrative elides mention of the region’s Indigenous peoples, the creators convey the shifts’ long timeline and the possibility of change. Includes extensive back matter. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) - Copyright 2024

School Library Journal - 02/01/2025 Gr 1–2—Evocative illustrations and easy-to-understand text bring this story of whales living in the Hudson River in New York to life. Initially told from the whales' perspective, the story depicts the river first as a wild place with clean water and plentiful fish. As humans arrive with their BIG boats, build a BIG harbor and eventually a BIG city, the BIG whales are either hunted or forced to leave due to the increasingly polluted water. After many years, people living near the river decided to take action, at which point the story takes the humans' point of view: "We missed the whales and the fish…We protested, marched and voted." Citizens of the city joined together on the first Earth Day in 1970 to raise awareness about the river and other environmental concerns. When the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, the river was cleaned up, and in 2016, a century after they left, whales returned to the river. Back matter includes an author's note, whale facts, a time line, sources, and brief information on people significant to the conservation effort, including singer and activist Pete Seeger. VERDICT A fascinating and accessible story about whales and the water they live in. Great for a read-aloud, especially for Earth Day.—Sue Morgan - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.