Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 01/27/2025 Drawing, per an author’s note, on childhood experiences, Judge (Wake Up, Moon!) narrates this picture book via the voice of a child whose family lives in a van called Old Blue. Loosely stroked watercolor and colored pencil spreads show Old Blue chugging uphill in a town, then threading along a mountain road. At night, the pale-skinned family eats soup under the stars, then sleeps snuggled up in the van’s back, belongings hanging in nets above. "Old Blue is my home," but there are times when the arrangement "makes me feel like I’m from everywhere and belong nowhere." At school, children sometimes point and laugh at the vehicle and narrator, and though schoolmates invite each other over, "No one wants to play in Old Blue." A sensitive parent offers cuddles until the world again feels that it has "a place for me too." Making it easy to feel what the child feels, this nuanced work honors the hope of one day having a "forever home" alongside the way Old Blue "gives us shelter and keeps us safe"-and knits the family close. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A note about housing insecurity concludes. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 05/02/2025 Gr 1–4—Old Blue is the van where the unnamed protagonist lives with her mother, father, sibling, dog, and cat. The family (depicted as white with pale skin tones) goes everywhere in their home, from the mountains to town to school. Old Blue has everything they need: a place to sleep, family room, library, hammock/closet, tools, outdoor kitchen, and even a hanging shower. As a home, it is filled with warmth and love, but sometimes the protagonist feels like she's "from everywhere and belongs nowhere," especially when she goes to school where her schoolmates can be unkind. Luckily, her mom is there to offer insight about Old Blue and her place in the world. Depicting warm and hazy details, nature, love, and joy, Judge's watercolor and colored pencil illustrations pair perfectly with the spare text while capturing the feel of life in and out of the van. An author's note reveals that this story is based on personal experience, while a section on housing insecurity is geared toward adults and older children. VERDICT A family who lives in their van has everything they need in an important and seldom discussed topic done extremely well. A must-have for most libraries.—Catherine Callegari - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.