Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/01/2022 Gr 1–3—For educators who want to buoy children's spirits with a snapshot of what an active green campaign looks like, this book is a cheerful road map. In spread after spread, Lloyd Kyi and Larmour show familiar scenes—crosswalks, community gardens, a family at the kitchen table—where readers can locate all the green choices that have been made toward preserving the planet. Electric cars, pedestrians, and people biking, or scootering have made great transportation choices; a Black child splashing in a puddle includes descriptions of how rain water has been captured for use; there are visible solar panels on a distant house; included is a line about pebbles helping to whisk water away. Every page has details to pore over and squirrel away for discussion; every detail could be expanded upon in the classroom or used in a checklist for children to test out their own green homes. The mood is ebullient, and the information is neutral. This is an accessible way to make the topic of climate change and conservation nonthreatening and imminently doable. VERDICT A great guide for all shelves, and a recommended purchase.—Kimberly Olson Fakih - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/01/2022 In Our Green City, the text describes a somewhat idyllic place where we take care of all living things. These practices include everything from using solar panels and windmills to creating backyard farms and rain gardens. Another focus of the book is community. Told in first-person plural, the book invites the reader into the city's life and depicts diverse families and neighbors meeting on the street, in a garden, and at a block party. The author adds frequent interactive touches (through questions like How many wheels can you count? or Can you spot something fast and something slow?) that help make the book a good read-aloud for preschoolers. Bright, busy illustrations capture the urban feel as well as environmentally conscious details. At the same time, the city feels reassuringly familiar, like it could be the reader's own home. A closing two-page spread of a backyard highlights More Ways to Be Green, such as growing herbs in window boxes and using a compost bin. Overall, a light, positive take on urban community and sustainability. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.