Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/01/2018 K-Gr 3—Young bibliophiles, logophiles, and poetry lovers will cherish this collected volume of Mora's verse, beautifully illustrated by Colón. Fourteen poems celebrate reading and writing, underlining the importance of literacy for child and adult readers. Mora's love for language and wordplay is infectious; rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopoeia all make their way into the poems and will ensure lively group reading. Colón's artwork, rendered in watercolor and Prismacolor pencils, is rich in dreamy blues and deep earth tones. The illustrations range from everyday scenes of whimsy to stunning views of canyons, imaginary landscapes, and playfully abstract interpretations of the text. Mora reminds readers throughout that writing inspiration is always within them: "Think of the faces, the colors,/the places you've been, the pictures/you carry inside." Librarians and educators could easily use this title in lessons on creative writing, from poetry to memoir. Best of all, after reading, children may share Tomás's sentiment in "Library Magic": "¡Vámos! Let's all go to the library/Join the fun, a treasure house that's free." VERDICT Perfectly suited to libraries, a top addition to poetry collections.—Della Farrell, School Library Journal - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 07/01/2018 *Starred Review* Two stellar vets come together to celebrate wordplay. In her introduction, Mora writes about her love of poetry and “the fun of listening to words, combining words, and playing with words,” emphasizing that each person is unique, so their wordplay will be as well. This leads into a marvelous collection of poems that extol the fun, adventure, and emotion that come with using one's words. Some of the poems are personal, like “Our Cottage in the Woods,” where a girl offers remembrances to her mother about their special place, where they snuggle, listening to the wind. The inventive “Who’s Inside?” asks children to find the animal that may be lurking within them. There are also odes to libraries and books, and singing and dancing, with each poem using Spanish words understood in context. Colón, whose artwork, here rendered in watercolors and colored pencils, always delves deep, brings a new level of excitement and exuberance to this. Children swing, sashay, and almost jump off the pages. His shapes and colors add to the feel of movement and fun in the oversize pages. A joyous invitation to put pen (or paintbrush) to paper. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.