Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 10/01/2021 *Starred Review* Drawing upon their own Latinx family experiences, Genhart and Lora cook up a beautiful story of food and cultural identity, rooted in family recipes, storytelling, and togetherness. The book begins as a family arrives at Abuela Pina’s house for their Christmas Eve tradition of making tamales together. The large, happy group gathers in the kitchen, with everyone at a prep station, chopping garlic and onions, cleaning corn husks, roasting chilies, making corn masa (dough), and cooking the seasoned meat filling. When it’s time to build the tamales, Abuela explains each step while also sharing its symbolism. Thus, the softened corn husk carries a reminder to be flexible, the masa, to “stand tall and proud,” and so on. Each piece of advice evokes a memory in Abuela that is rendered primarily in grays, distinctly contrasting with the vivid colors used throughout the rest of the book. In both cases, Lora’s collage-style illustrations are exceptional and incorporate bold patterns and details of Mexican decor, such as potted cacti, a molcajete (mortar and pestle), and a family altar. The text seamlessly incorporates Spanish words and their meanings into the story, further peppering it with authentic flavor. Concluding notes and photos from the author and illustrator explain the inspiration for the book. A lovely tribute to family, food, and tradition. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 10/01/2021 PreS-Gr 3—In a gathering for Christmas, the narrator reveals the tamale-making that fits hand in glove with life lessons uttered by his abuela. The mostly English narration is full of in-context Spanish words, but when Abuela utters words such as "protection and security," the Spanish equivalents appear in large calligraphy as part of the art. Vibrant scenes show a Mexican family pitching in to tell stories, soak the husks, remove silks, add filling, and then fold and place the tamales in the pot to cook. The scent in the air is overwhelming, and anticipation grows, but the slow cooking teaches "patience," and soon the family is feasting on the fruits of their labor. Colors, flowers, rooms filled with laughing people, and a flowing well-paced text combine in a mantra-like telling, as rewarding as the tamales themselves. VERDICT A bilingual beauty that celebrates family across generations, and traditions that can be shared beyond the communal table.—Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.