Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 01/01/2023 Learning to ride a bike—a challenge full of wobbles and falls—is as much about determination as it is about physical skill. This picture book, in which a girl trades in her training wheels for a daunting two-wheeler, is a subtle but effective demonstration of how exposure therapy can conquer fear. Kayla is happy with the training wheels on her little pink pony bike, but her father says she’s ready for more. As the text describes learning to ride a bike in terms of taming a horse, Kayla’s feelings change, from her excitement on her old pink pony through her intimidation in the bike shop and her fear when the new bike, Wild Blue, bucks her. Finally, she's delighted when she and Wild Blue move as one. The acrylic-ink illustrations and sunset hues brilliantly enhance the Old West metaphor, as the landscape shifts incrementally from urban to rural. The ending, in which Kayla walks with, pats, sings songs to, and murmurs encouragement to Wild Blue, is a great example of step-by-step learning. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 03/24/2023 PreS-Gr 2—A child transitions from a three-wheeler to a big-kid bike in this charming celebration of a perennial milestone. Kayla, who wears cowboy boots and hat, loves to ride a pink "pony" aka tricycle, but is told by Daddy that it's time to switch to a bicycle. The blue stallion proves to be too difficult to tame, with Kayla falling multiple times. Daddy encourages her to show "Wild Blue" who is boss. After some bonding time, including a sweet song Kayla makes up to coax the bicycle, and some courage on her end, the endeavor is successful. The spirited pair are a perfect match. The horse and cowboy extended metaphor is sometimes over the top, but Hughes's majestic illustrations balance the narrative. The art is done in acrylic ink, using the title's shout-out blue on every spread. Sweeping images alternate between presenting Wild Blue as a horse and as a child's first bike, demonstrating the power of young imagination. Kayla's dad is always in the background, reassuring readers that a grown-up will always be in their corner. VERDICT A fun picture book for readers making their own big leap and a good choice for early elementary collections.—Shelley M. Diaz - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

School Library Journal - 03/24/2023 PreS-Gr 2—A child transitions from a three-wheeler to a big-kid bike in this charming celebration of a perennial milestone. Kayla, who wears cowboy boots and hat, loves to ride a pink "pony" aka tricycle, but is told by Daddy that it's time to switch to a bicycle. The blue stallion proves to be too difficult to tame, with Kayla falling multiple times. Daddy encourages her to show "Wild Blue" who is boss. After some bonding time, including a sweet song Kayla makes up to coax the bicycle, and some courage on her end, the endeavor is successful. The spirited pair are a perfect match. The horse and cowboy extended metaphor is sometimes over the top, but Hughes's majestic illustrations balance the narrative. The art is done in acrylic ink, using the title's shout-out blue on every spread. Sweeping images alternate between presenting Wild Blue as a horse and as a child's first bike, demonstrating the power of young imagination. Kayla's dad is always in the background, reassuring readers that a grown-up will always be in their corner. VERDICT A fun picture book for readers making their own big leap and a good choice for early elementary collections.—Shelley M. Diaz - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.