Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/19/2024 K-Gr 4—Autumn has arrived! It is Ruby's favorite time of year, because her family celebrates two incredibly special harvest holidays: Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival and the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ruby and her grandmother pick out fresh fruit, crunchy nuts, a bouquet of red chrysanthemums, a rabbit lantern, and a big box of mooncakes from the stores in the Chinese market. Ruby also goes to the Jewish grocer with her grandfather to buy dates, a lulav, and etrog for the celebration of Sukkot. After everything is set up for the celebrations, Ruby has an idea: they can combine the celebrations of Sukkot and the Mid-Autumn Festival. With the help of her grandmother and grandfather, she makes Jewish mooncakes, or mixed-up mooncakes, which have a six-pointed star drawn onto the top of the traditional Chinese mooncakes. Not only will this inspirational story appeal to readers of all ages, it also contains educational value by providing insights into the traditional celebrations of Sukkot and Mid-Autumn Festival. The illustrations fit perfectly and help to tell the story. Ruby's grandfather is Jewish, with light gray hair; her grandmother has dark black hair and presents as Chinese. Back matter features authors' and illustrator's notes, as well as more information on both holidays. Details of Ruby's Jewish mooncake recipe complete the book. VERDICT Readers will enjoy this book as a bedtime story or as part of an art activity event where they make their own mixed-up mooncakes.—Anna Ching-Yu Wong - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

School Library Journal - 07/19/2024 K-Gr 4—Autumn has arrived! It is Ruby's favorite time of year, because her family celebrates two incredibly special harvest holidays: Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival and the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ruby and her grandmother pick out fresh fruit, crunchy nuts, a bouquet of red chrysanthemums, a rabbit lantern, and a big box of mooncakes from the stores in the Chinese market. Ruby also goes to the Jewish grocer with her grandfather to buy dates, a lulav, and etrog for the celebration of Sukkot. After everything is set up for the celebrations, Ruby has an idea: they can combine the celebrations of Sukkot and the Mid-Autumn Festival. With the help of her grandmother and grandfather, she makes Jewish mooncakes, or mixed-up mooncakes, which have a six-pointed star drawn onto the top of the traditional Chinese mooncakes. Not only will this inspirational story appeal to readers of all ages, it also contains educational value by providing insights into the traditional celebrations of Sukkot and Mid-Autumn Festival. The illustrations fit perfectly and help to tell the story. Ruby's grandfather is Jewish, with light gray hair; her grandmother has dark black hair and presents as Chinese. Back matter features authors' and illustrator's notes, as well as more information on both holidays. Details of Ruby's Jewish mooncake recipe complete the book. VERDICT Readers will enjoy this book as a bedtime story or as part of an art activity event where they make their own mixed-up mooncakes.—Anna Ching-Yu Wong - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.