Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 09/22/2023 Gr 1–4—Grimes writes a heartrending story of loss as a young boy struggles to deal with the death of his father. When the child looks in the mirror, he is disheartened by what he sees—he is all but a replica of his father who has recently died. His father has left him a map of the woods behind their home with a red mark. He decides to take a walk in the woods, which he and his father did regularly. He begins to have an inner dialogue with his dad about the wildlife he sees and hears, and when he finds the place that is marked on the map, he sees a brick fireplace where a house once stood. Inside a metal box are beautiful drawings of wildlife and an unfinished tale. He realizes that his father created the drawings and the story when he was the boy's age, and the child finds a note from his father encouraging him to continue the story or write his own. This poignant story, obviously amplified by the passing of Jerry Pinkney, is quietly haunting and resonates with the shared experiences of parent and child. There is a third Pinkney involved, Charnelle Pinkney Barlow, who worked with Brian Pinkney to digitally combine Jerry's sketches with his own impressionistic applications of color. VERDICT Illustrations and narrative are warp and weft in a beautifully crafted story of grief and triumph. Great for any children's collection.—Annmarie Braithwaite - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

School Library Journal - 09/22/2023 Gr 1–4—Grimes writes a heartrending story of loss as a young boy struggles to deal with the death of his father. When the child looks in the mirror, he is disheartened by what he sees—he is all but a replica of his father who has recently died. His father has left him a map of the woods behind their home with a red mark. He decides to take a walk in the woods, which he and his father did regularly. He begins to have an inner dialogue with his dad about the wildlife he sees and hears, and when he finds the place that is marked on the map, he sees a brick fireplace where a house once stood. Inside a metal box are beautiful drawings of wildlife and an unfinished tale. He realizes that his father created the drawings and the story when he was the boy's age, and the child finds a note from his father encouraging him to continue the story or write his own. This poignant story, obviously amplified by the passing of Jerry Pinkney, is quietly haunting and resonates with the shared experiences of parent and child. There is a third Pinkney involved, Charnelle Pinkney Barlow, who worked with Brian Pinkney to digitally combine Jerry's sketches with his own impressionistic applications of color. VERDICT Illustrations and narrative are warp and weft in a beautifully crafted story of grief and triumph. Great for any children's collection.—Annmarie Braithwaite - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 09/01/2023 *Starred Review* A week after his father’s funeral, a Black boy opens the envelope that his father left for him and finds a map showing the nearby woods. In one spot is a red X. Does it mark a treasure? He and his father frequently walked those woods together, and he feels reluctant to go alone, but he does. Noticing a garter snake and an eagle along the way, he follows the paths to the spot and finds a rusted metal box containing sketches of woodland wildlife, with an unfinished story beneath each drawing. His father created both the sketches and the writings as a boy. On the last page, he invites his son to finish the stories and to draw and write his own. The back matter tells of the book’s creation. Grimes and Jerry Pinkney decided to collaborate on a book in which Black characters engage with nature. Grimes wrote the free verse text, which tells the story concisely, while expressing the boy’s shifting emotions beautifully. Before his death in 2021, Jerry Pinkney finished the detailed, engaging drawings, which reflect his love for the natural world. Afterwards, his son Brian Pinkney was asked to add the watercolor washes, which have a distinctive, ethereal quality that enhances the story. An original, inspiring picture book. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.