Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 11/15/2019 Ruth Bader Ginsburg stares out from the cover in an almost life-size portrait, calmly confident and assured, but a Jewish girl raised in Brooklyn in the ’30s and ’40s was not expected to end up on the U.S. Supreme Court. Through college and law school, as a university professor and a judge, Ginsburg continued to challenge other people’s limited expectations. In this picture-book biography, each two-page spread is broken up roughly into two-thirds illustrations and one-third text. Velasquez’s striking paintings may fill the whole space or be divided into panels depicting a series of events. The nature of Ginsburg’s work is inherently difficult to explain to a young audience, but Rappaport frames many of the justice’s court cases around the ideas of fairness, discrimination, and equality, concepts that children generally can recognize. Debbie Levy’s similar I Dissent (2016) is told more as a continuous narrative, while this work examines pivotal points in Ginsburg’s life. The text is anchored by quotations, effectively communicating Ginsburg’s voice and providing insight into her motivations and beliefs. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 01/01/2020 Gr 2–4—This picture book biography vividly examines the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Rappaport explains that Celia, Ginsburg's mother, was unable to pursue higher education and instead had to financially support her brother through college. This setback fueled Celia's insistence that Ginsburg achieve independence and stick to her beliefs. Treatment is given to Ginsburg's childhood and teen years. An extended amount of time is spent on Ginsburg's college years, when she met her husband and decided to attend law school. Rappaport describes Ginsburg's role as a wife and mother, but this is downplayed in comparison to her impressive professional accomplishments. Quotes from Ginsburg are spread throughout the book, with at least one on each page. The narrative ends in 2010. Velasquez's illustrations are realistic and feature prominently. Back matter includes important dates, an author's note, and an illustrator's note. VERDICT A welcome addition to any library's picture book biography collection. Due to the length of the written passages, this title may be a better fit as an independent text for students in intermediate grades rather than as a read-aloud.—Kate Olson, Bangor School District, WI - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.