Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2005 Nanny and Poppa spend most of their time in the kitchen, and when the story’s young protagonist arrives for a weekend visit, she always stops on the porch to greet them through the big kitchen window. This window, however, is good for many more things than greetings, both real (checking the weather in the morning) and imagined (visiting with a Tyrannosaurus rex who, being extinct, doesn’t come around much). While the text is a little long and there is not much plot to this playfully thoughtful celebration of childhood, Juster uses the physical window to great effect in exploring the experience of staying with grandparents. Throughout the child narrator’s exposition on the window, she shares with the listeners her observations about the house, and the items about which she comments are decidedly kid-oriented (the stepstool for washing her hands, the forbidden under-the-sink cabinet). There is a delightful dose of preschooler ego (“When I get tired I come in and take my nap and nothing happens until I get up”) that is perfectly matched by Raschka’s chaotically uninhibited paintings, which similarly evoke a kid-centered world. He uses color fearlessly to reflect the fantastical energy of the child’s narrative line, and his bold, splashy brushstrokes create an exciting and fanciful world (though the facial expressions of the multiracial family are sometimes muddied in the process). This holds obvious potential as a story to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren, but young audiences are likely to eagerly listen to anyone willing to read it to them. - Copyright 2005 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 03/01/2005 PreS-Gr 1-The window in Nanna and Poppy's kitchen is no ordinary window-it is the place where love and magic happens. It's where the girl and her doting grandparents watch stars, play games, and, most importantly, say hello and goodbye. The first-person text is both simple and sophisticated, conjuring a perfectly child-centered world. Sentences such as "When I get tired I come in and take my nap and nothing happens until I get up" typify the girl's happy, imaginative world. While the language is bouncy and fun, it is the visual interpretation of this sweet story that sings. Using a bright rainbow palette of saturated color, Raschka's impressionistic, mixed-media illustrations portray a loving, mixed-race family. The artwork is at once lively and energetic, without crowding the story or the words on the page; the simple lines and squiggles of color suggest a child's own drawings, but this is the art of a masterful hand. Perfect for lap-sharing, this book will find favor with children and adults alike.-Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Hillsboro, OR Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2005 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/15/2005 *Starred Review* Two well-known names come together in a book that speaks to the real lives of children and their experiences. The young narrator visits her grandparents, Nanna and Poppy, in their big house. They explore Nanna's garden, and Poppy plays his harmonica. The narrator rides her bike and takes a nap, and nothing happens till I get up. Looking out the picture window, the hello, goodbye window, she sees the pizza guy, and, more fancifully, a dinosaur. She also spots her parents coming to pick her up. The curly-haired girl is happy to see them, but sad because it means the end of the visit. The window imagery is less important than the title would make it seem. More intrinsic is Juster's honest portrayal of a child's perceptions (a striped cat in the yard is a tiger) and emotions (being happy and sad at the same time just happens that way sometimes). Raschka's swirling lines, swaths, and dabs of fruity colors seem especially vibrant, particularly in the double-page spreads, which have ample room to capture both the tender moments between members of the interracial family and the exuberance of spending time in the pulsating outdoors, all flowers, grass, and sky. - Copyright 2005 Booklist.