Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 06/01/2022 K-Gr 3—This book introduces and explores the Jewish holidays using both poetry and prose. Following the Jewish calendar, the holidays begin in September with Rosh Hashanah and end with Tu B'Av in August. Shabbat is included near the end of the book. Each holiday has a short poem and a paragraph explaining the 6 Ws—what, who, why, where, when, and how—of the holiday. Each celebration has its own spread, with soft pencil drawings. The art, while following one family as they celebrate throughout the year, depicts characters of many races and skin tones. Another strength of this poetry collection is that it includes holidays not widely known or observed. These days get just as much space as the holidays that are more prevalent. While there is a lot to appreciate about this book, the poems may be the weakest part. Many of the poems do not have a cadence or rhythm that is easy to find. Often the poems interrupt themselves by adding in an unimportant aside. Much of the text of this book is held up by the information adjacent to the poems. VERDICT While not an essential purchase, this collection would find a place in many holiday collections.—Sarah West - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 09/15/2022 In this accessible poetry collection, a family commemorates every holiday in the Jewish calendar. Presented from a child’s point of view, Singer’s short, evocative poems smoothly convey details of each holiday’s activities and significance, along with personal reflections. On Rosh Hashanah, the child shares “apples dipped in honey” with her classmates, “so the New Year will be sweet,” and pledges, “I will try to be sweeter, too.” On Yom Kippur, the verse has a suitably solemn tenor: “On this day I say I am sorry / for any unkind thing I’ve done / (even when nobody’s seen it).” In Wulfekotte’s warm, animated pencil illustrations, the family of five builds a garden arbor during the harvest festival of Sukkot; joins their synagogue in a joyful hand-in-hand dance on Simchat Torah to celebrate the completion of the yearly cycle of Torah readings; and sends messages of love on Tu B’Av. The poems are accompanied by informative, succinct text explaining each holiday’s history and traditions. A poetic invitation for all to learn more about Jewish holidays and observations. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.