Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 04/01/2022 Gr 2–4—Composer, entrepreneur, performer, and philanthropist Dolly Parton's lifelong love of music bubbles to the top in this new picture book biography, focusing on her tough upbringing in Tennessee and how that shaped her path. For children unfamiliar with Parton, this digitally illustrated book is as bright as the singer's favorite outfits and its exaggerated cartoon style will connect with fans of animated shows popular today. The text focuses almost disproportionately on Parton's early life, circling around the different ways music made an appearance in her early years—from porch concerts to radio listening to her mama singing—and then moves on, in the final pages, to the artist's first public performances and ultimately her career successes. The language is more poetic than many biographies, but, surprising for the true story of a lyrical maven, lacks flow and rhythm. The inclusion of "Dolly-isms" in the back matter is a treat. VERDICT Add this to any collection that lacks a Parton biography.—Aryssa Damron - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 06/01/2022 “Deep in a holler in the Great Smoky Mountains, Dolly stood on her front porch, ready to perform,” opens this upbeat, colorful look at the beloved singer’s childhood and rise to fame. McGrath’s accessible text and Surrey’s gouache illustrations of Dolly and her home, family, and performances bring to life the singer’s early ambitions and struggles. While happily dismissing doubters, Dolly got on with becoming a performer, creating rhymes that showed her feelings, tapping a rhythm when Mama snapped beans, and corralling her siblings into being her audience. Readers with their own passions will nod in recognition as the young singer’s heartbeat quickens with joy when she hears music from the Grand Ole Opry, and they'll be encouraged when Dolly’s perseverance pays off, moving from being mocked for her clothes to life as a glamorous superstar. Closing notes give more detail about the singer and offer a wonderful coda: a list of “Dollyisms”—among them, “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one,” as the singer did herself. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.