Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 01/01/2018 At school, Tanisha spills grape juice on her dress. Most of her classmates laugh, but not the child narrating the story. Wanting to be kind, the child says, “Purple is my favorite color.” When Tanisha runs away crying, our protagonist wonders what it means to be kind. Is it paying attention? Saying thanks? Sticking up for someone who’s being bullied? The immediate situation resolves itself in the illustrations, where the friends sit together in art class, and the narrator gives Tanisha a painting that she later tapes up above her bed. The heart of the book, though, lies in the narrator’s reflections on kindness, small acts that can contribute to something big. The precisely worded, hopeful text offers ideas to ponder, while the artwork places them within kid-friendly contexts, such as a multiracial classroom and a neighborhood park. Nicely designed for drawing out children’s ideas and opening a discussion on kindness, this picture book works well one-on-one or read aloud in a classroom, for the expressive pictures are still effective from a distance. A thoughtful picture book. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 02/01/2018 PreS-Gr 2—Miller explores the topic of kindness through the story of a child pondering how to respond when a friend spills grape juice on herself. In the language of a child's thoughts, Miller provides examples of kindness (giving, helping, paying attention), and acknowledges that it is not always easy to be kind, especially when others aren't. Miller helps bring this abstract concept into concrete terms of children's lives. The illustrations are gentle and effective. The children's faces are expressive, and thick brushstrokes and watercolor add texture and depth to the pages. The color purple receives extra attention, but is well balanced with other colors and white space. The book presents the powerful message that small acts of kindness matter, and that they can build with other acts of kindness to make a difference. This is adeptly illustrated with vignettes representing kindness circling the globe, coming full circle to the schoolyard where the protagonist gives Tanisha a purple watercolor picture. While the protagonist could not fix the problem, the act of kindness still made a difference. VERDICT Books about kindness are frequently requested in public and school libraries alike. This title is a valuable addition on this topic and will promote conversation about what it means to be kind.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public Library, MA - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.