Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 07/01/2014 In this large-format picture book, a biracial family chooses their food at a community garden, a farmers’ market, and a supermarket. Eventually, tired and hungry, the parents and children stop to refresh themselves by eating and drinking healthy items. They return home, where they prepare foods together before going to the park for a delicious, nutritious picnic. Along the way, the main text discusses topics related to wholesome eating and feeling good. Speech balloons on every double-page spread carry the children’s dialogue. From an informational standpoint, the sound text makes clear that not every family or person eats the same kind of food, and it even ventures into the issue of food allergies. Including a wide variety of people in the backgrounds, Westcott’s digital line-and-wash illustrations are clearly delineated, cheerful, and appealing. While neither the text nor the artwork break new ground, this picture book will be a useful addition to school and public-library collections. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 07/01/2014 K-Gr 2—While the digital illustrations tell the story of a racially mixed family's active day (walking and cycling to the community garden, farmer's market, and grocery store before making lunch and preparing food for an afternoon picnic), text and speech bubbles from siblings Gus and Nellie provide the information about healthy foods and how they affect our bodies. Joined in all of the public settings with a multicultural background cast, smiles abound within and around the family unit, equating the act of making good food choices with family togetherness and fun. This genial positivism, along with the wide variety of featured foods (smartly labeled to provide new things to point out during repeat readings) makes for a fine resource for promoting a healthy lifestyle.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.