Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/01/2022 Gr 1–3—Stanley, who has black hair and light tan skin, rides his bike through a cornfield, eager to reach the bookmobile to select a new title. Right away he spots the intriguing cover of a likely candidate. Unfortunately, instead of the usual Ms. Christine running the bookmobile, Stanley finds an older white man who doesn't think Stanley really wants to read a book with a (gasp!) female protagonist. Stanley watches in disbelief as a stream of patrons borrow the books that he wanted to read. A female friend named Valeria gets to read the book he first had his eye on, the cat gets to read the cat book, and the robot gets to read a robot book. In his heart Stanley knows that books shouldn't be restricted to one gender (or species), but he is uncomfortable speaking up. Finally, after all the readers trade books and an intimidating allosaurus really wants to read about ponies, Stanley finds the courage to speak up for himself. The bookmobile man realizes that readers are interested in investigating all kinds of topics and diverse stories. While the book is a humorous and interesting exploration of the mirrors-and-windows children's book ideal, as well as a lesson in how making assumptions about a person or their preferences can cause distress and confusion, some may find the portrayal of the bookmobile man to be ageist. There's no insight into why he holds his outdated and offensive ideas, and other than his impressive set of eyebrows, his only distinguishing characteristic is that he's old and seemingly out of touch. The illustrations are engaging, especially those depicting humans, animals, and even a robot enjoying a nice summer day's reading under a tree. VERDICT A nonessential purchase. Perhaps this is best taken as a reminder to kids that it's OK to speak up; adults don't always know best.—Alyssa Annico - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/15/2022 Stanley is so excited when the bookmobile arrives, until the vacationing librarian’s replacement—a stodgy old man with stormy eyebrows—tells Stanley he can’t read the book he wants because the main character is a girl. Nor can Stanley read a cat book, because those are for cats, just like robot books are only for robots. Eventually, an allosaurus demanding a book about ponies changes the man’s mind, and everyone swaps books quite contentedly. It’s a simple story, told with Hale’s delightful trademark wit and humor, that gently hammers home the concept of censorship and how even well-meaning adults can unknowingly restrict a child’s right to read. The muted colors and broad, hazy strokes of the mixed-media watercolor, pastel, and pencil illustrations are somewhat incongruous with the quick, crisp, and cleverly detailed writing, but the mix of narrative text and speech bubbles gives the picture book an almost graphic-novel feel that readers will enjoy, and the book’s message is well worth spreading. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.