Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 01/27/2025 Three generations of a Japanese American family pass down embodied wisdom in this tender seasonal tale authored by a father-daughter team. In spring, as young Midori walks with Dad and Jiichan through a peach orchard, Midori bites into a crunchy fruit. Jiichan, who advises that a peach is ripe "when it tastes like a story," compares the peaches to their ancestors’ early years in America, as green-inked images depict their incarceration. When warmer temperatures turn the peaches-and scenes-yellow, Dad talks about how the family farm began. And in summer, as the images embrace warm oranges and pinks, Midori at last bites into a ripe peach that floods her with appreciation for her family’s history. Tamaki’s acrylic ink, graphite, and digital illustrations echo the spare beauty of the prose and fluid brushwork reminiscent of Japanese sumi-e. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 05/01/2025 K-Gr 4—A young girl named Midori asks her grandfather, or Jichan, if a peach is ripe, and what unfolds is an extended metaphor about family, history, and agriculture. Midori learns not only patience, but also where she belongs in her community. When Jichan dies, Midori applies the lessons he taught her and grasps that her own life, too, is part of a larger story. Strong themes of family and reverence for the earth are prevalent throughout. The tale touches briefly upon the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. It emphasizes the importance of being patient, yet also persistent and focused. The artwork blends focal points with backgrounds, memories, and emotions, resulting in an exciting interplay throughout the text. The sometimes-transparent characters are colored and enlivened by the objects and settings that shine through them. The illustrations of peaches and peach trees are gorgeous. An author's note covers the experience of Japanese Americans in more detail, tracing the origins and effects of anti-Asian racism in the U.S. Again, the emphasis is on the power of family, patience, and agriculture to survive hardship. VERDICT A strong celebration of the Japanese American experience, this story will appeal to children keen on family relationships and could be used in classroom units covering more agrarian lifestyles across cultures.—Benjamin Ludwig - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.