Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 12/01/2023 K-Gr 3—It is a sunny day under a clear blue sky, and a grandma ties a yellow handkerchief to her head as she prepares for her workday ahead: picking up eggs from the hen house, plucking the hen to be cooked, picking up tomatoes and chiles from the garden, and cleaning the field of weeds. Grandma does much more, but for the girl in this story, that yellow handkerchief symbolizes all that mortifies her. Grandma's dirty hands, her house chores, and poor clothing remind this girl that she would rather have her friend's life, eating pizza for dinner or purchasing a chicken from the store. Higuera offers a picture book about identity and the struggle some children have with their Latinx heritage. This Spanish translation of The Yellow Handkerchief features one to three lines of black font text, providing several vocabulary words and detailing the figure of the handkerchief and the main character's change of heart toward it. The modern-looking digital illustrations are mostly full-page, with vignettes to provide contextual details, complementing the wonderfully candid narrative and the isolated green scenery. The art's focal point is on the yellow handkerchief, which transfers from the grandma to the girl, suggesting the girl's acceptance of her family's cultural heritage. This book could be used in a social unit about identity. The characters have light brown skin. VERDICT An honest depiction of feeling shame of a family's humble beginnings and background and finding the true value of our heritage.—Kathia Ibacache - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.