Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 01/01/2023 This vibrantly illustrated group biography geared toward elementary-school readers balances household names like Rosa Parks with lesser-known civil rights advocates like Dorothy Cotton for an engaging primer on the women of the movement. Each figure gets her own spread, a bright portrait by illustrator Holt, and a quick biographical sketch focusing on what earned her place in the collection. While many of the sketches may leave readers wanting more, their focus on the “why” rather than the basic biographical details allows the reader to fall right into step beside each woman. Russell-Brown’s writing style keeps the facts front and center while still evoking the feelings of each woman as they come to life on the page in 200 words or less, perfectly pitched to a child’s perspective. With back matter broken up for each figure and a welcoming layout that invites a binge reading or a slow exploration, this title will be a strong addition to history or biography collections, especially if supplemented by longer-form titles on the figures that particularly pique the interests of readers. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.