Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2023 Gr 1–3—Ana and Harwin become best buds the day they meet. As in many friendships, theirs is full of adventure, imaginative play, and occasional disagreements. And as with many childhood friendships, they are certain theirs will last forever—until Harwin tells Ana her family is moving away. This sweet story is buoyed by colorful illustrations and a different chart or diagram on each page. For instance, a map of play activities at Ana's house shows that Harlow spent five hours trying to run up the crooked tree (Ana only spent one). A flow chart Ana creates for whether she can pack herself in Harlow's suitcase ends by asking, "Do I like breathing?" and concludes that she cannot, in fact, stow away. While so many diagrams could easily make the book feel cluttered, Fisher smartly uses color to delineate diagram parts and occasionally renders the background in a soft gray and white to allow the charts to stand out. Teachers will enjoy this as an easily accessible introduction to many types of charts. The first page, for instance, shows a pictorial Venn diagram of what the girls have in common. The details in the various charts reward close reading with laughable details that further highlight the girls' distinct personalities. Back matter explains the types of charts used in the book, including Venn diagrams, maps, time lines, bar charts, flow charts, and more. VERDICT A uniquely told story that will delight all readers. Highly recommended.—Lindsay Loup - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/01/2023 From the day they met, Ana and Harwin were best friends. They played for countless hours together, until Harwin finds out she has to move far away. Suddenly, the hours begin to fly miserably fast. No matter what, though, they're determined to make their friendship last. The story is PreK-simple in its plot and text but remarkably complex in its method, expertly using infographics on every page: a Venn diagram of the girls' overlapping interests, a floor plan of the house-labeling games played within, an illustrated Halloween time line, a coordinate chart about tree climbing, a bar chart of emotional states, and a schematic diagram of the ingredients in fairy tea. Even the copyright and dedication are infographics. Fisher, who has created information graphics for the New York Times, has used her unique skill set to tap into an entirely original mode of storytelling for her author-illustrator debut. While the appeal of schematics, flowcharts, time lines, and pie charts may not be universal, those with interest in the topic will feel wondrously seen. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

Booklist - 02/15/2023 From the day they met, Ana and Harwin were best friends. They play for countless hours together, until Harwin finds out she has to move far away. Suddenly, the hours begin to fly miserably fast. No matter what, though, they’re determined to make their friendship last. The story is PreK-simple in its plot and text but remarkably complex in its method, expertly using infographics on every page: a Venn diagram of the girls’ overlapping interests, a floor plan of the house-labeling games played within, an illustrated Halloween time line, a coordinate chart about tree climbing, a bar chart of emotional states, and a schematic diagram of the ingredients in fairy tea. Even the copyright and dedication are infographics. Fisher, who has created information graphics for the New York Times, has used her unique skill set to tap into an entirely original mode of storytelling for her author-illustrator debut. While the appeal of schematics, flowcharts, time lines, and pie charts may not be universal, those with interest in the topic will feel wondrously seen. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.