Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 12/01/2022 *Starred Review* During the 1930s, Thelma, a third-grader, lives with her parents and little sisters in rural Louisiana. After “Mr. Jim Crow” made trouble for Uncle Ed, he and Aunt Bea moved to California. Thelma loves waving to passing trains, and she enjoys taking a different kind of train to school: walking single file with other children, led by an eighth-grader as engineer and watched over by a sixth-grader as caboose. At each “stop” (a student’s home), the kids chant, “Schooltrain! Schooltrain! Don’t be late! / The school bell rings at half past eight!” In their one-room schoolhouse, the teacher emphasizes Black history and reminds her students that it will take education and courage to do away with Jim Crow. After Thelma’s father loses his job, the family boards a train bound for California and new opportunities. The genuine warmth of the text derives from Armand’s portrayal of Thelma's supportive family and close-knit Black community, which nurture and protect her. The story is firmly rooted in experiences from the author’s childhood and her mother’s. The narrative’s setting is the small, rural Louisiana town where her parents grew up. Morris’ imaginative digital illustrations feature lively, active scenes and expressive character portrayals. A child-friendly picture book introducing the Great Migration. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 01/01/2023 Gr 2–5—In a story straight out of history, Thelma and her family love to watch trains pass through her hometown of Vacherie, LA, and she longs to be a passenger on one of the trains one day. As the end of summer looms, Thelma finds solace in knowing she can get back on the "schooltrain" once third grade begins. The day finally comes and Thelma, her cousins, and her friends all form the schooltrain—a single line—with everyone playing roles as the passengers, caboose, or engineer as they walk to school. Each day, rain or shine, the schooltrain passes through town, picking up friends along the way as the kids chant "Schooltrain! Schooltrain! Don't be late! The school bell rings at half past eight!" The story moves along as Thelma and her classmates try to embrace school life as it is very different from their white neighbors. The students enjoy classic stories and use their imaginations as they absorb all they can from an education with limitations. Sadly, one day Thelma's best friend is forced to move to Minnesota where her daddy is relocated to find a new job. Will Thelma's family be next? Morris's pictures illustrate unique images with rigid lines and deep hues of brown and rusty orange that perfectly capture the somber times of segregation. VERDICT This is a beautiful story that teaches courage and offers readers a glimpse into the daily life of a Black family. This picture book would pair well with a history lesson on Civil Rights and the Jim Crow laws.—Kerra Mazzariello - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.