Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 02/25/2022 PreS-Gr 1—A gallery of bright color photos featuring a racially diverse cast of recently arrived babies being cuddled and cared for exerts predictably strong visual appeal, but the informational content in this controlled vocabulary reader is skimpy at best. Yes, babies need to be fed, carried, and allowed to sleep; like to look at colorful toys, even if they can't hold them; and should be placed in a car seat or stroller for safe travel. And, yes, dads are shown as caregivers as often as moms are in the pictures. But otherwise, the overall picture of infant care isn't particularly realistic, as the infants on view are bottle fed only, are posed in a basin beneath strategically placed suds, and so swaddled up that only once is there ever even a hint of a diaper—and that is only a small, partial glimpse. Also, though Lindeen is mostly careful to use nongendered language, she slips up on one page by suggesting that rocking or patting a baby "can help him feel better. Then he will stop crying." Three final pages of reading reinforcement exercises in smaller type, including a complete word list, throw a pedagogic cast over this outing. VERDICT The eye candy may bring emergent readers flocking, but the light informational payload positions this more as a tool for literacy training than a celebration of its ostensible topic.—John Peters - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 04/01/2022 Using short, easy-to-read sentences, this selection from the Read and Discover: Big Events series (4 titles) presents basic facts about newborns and infants, ranging from their abilities to their many needs. For example, one page explains, “All babies need food. But new babies don’t have teeth yet. They drink their food.” Another adds, “New babies can’t hold toys. But they like to look at colorful things.” The large stock photos on each page or spread nod slightly to diverse representation with their inclusion of babies and families of many different races. Several pages of “Reading Reinforcement” in the back offer support to caregivers looking to help youngsters with their reading comprehension and fluency. Best for beginning readers, new older siblings, and young students just starting to learn about nonfiction. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.