Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 06/01/2014 Kids who like dancing around to their parents’ (or grandparents’) LPs may get a kick—and learn something, too—from this insightful picture-book bio of rocker Robbie Robertson, penned by his son. Robbie’s epic journey on the rock and roll highway is just that. Growing up as the child of a Mohawk Indian mother and a Jewish professional gambler, Robbie developed an interest in music that was fueled by reservation storytelling. He became a classic play-till-your-fingers-bleed fanatic, and he was soon drafted to be part of Ronnie Hawkins’ outfit. A fortuitous meeting with Bob Dylan led to the formation of The Band, a folk-infused rock group that so confounded Dylan’s fans that Robbie had to learn to play without looking at his fingers so as to dodge the thrown refuse. Author Robertson hits all the right notes, knowing just when to bend the strings to work in bits of fascinating detail or esoterica. Gustavson’s realistic watercolors have an earthy grit just perfect for this story of the roots of Americana music. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 09/01/2014 Gr 1–4—This attractive picture book biography profiles artist Robbie Robertson, founder of the Band, the group known for backing up Bob Dylan and for the songs "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." Written by Robbie Robertson's son, Sebastian, the book takes readers through Robbie's life, starting with his birth, covering his childhood in Toronto, development as a musician, and rise to fame, and ending in the mid-1970s with the Band's final performance. The use of dialogue adds to the appeal, keeping the tone lively and accessible. The tone is enthusiastic, bordering on worshipful at times ("It was now 1961 and people came from far and wide to hear the hottest, youngest guitar player around"). Gustavson's rich, nostalgia-tinged oil paintings will provoke plenty of smiles of recognition from adult rock fans, portraying as they do places such as the Brill Building, where Robbie met songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and Big Pink, the house in Woodstock, New York, where the Band's most famous album was recorded, as well as artists with whom Robbie interacted, like Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and, of course, Dylan. However, these details aren't likely to resonate with the intended audience, for whom the mere mention of Music from Big Pink and "The Last Waltz" won't conjure up beloved memories. Though this is a well-illustrated and nicely told story, the subject matter will limit its appeal.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.