Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 04/01/2022 PreS-Gr 1—Readers who've enjoyed Andrea Beaty's "Questioneers" series (Abrams) will enjoy this cute, informational picture book series. An adorable cartoon "Junior Engineers Club" travels around, meeting engineers and architects as they bring buildings, structures, and vehicles from concept to completion. The characters learn all about how things like new bridges are made, watching crews construct them over water and then demolishing the old bridge once the new one is complete. Learning about the big engineering feats is impressive, but it's somehow even cooler to learn about the construction of everyday things, like houses and cars. Each book ends with images of tools needed for construction, followed by descriptions of famous representations of the different structures. While this series is very sweet, it's best categorized as informational fiction and will find a happy home in most picture book collections. VERDICT A nice addition, but not necessarily for nonfiction collections. - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 04/01/2022 In the How It's Built series (6 titles), six young friends who love building and learning about how things work make up the Junior Engineers Club. Curiosity arises when the friends attend a sailboat race and set out to learn how sailboats are made. Club members make an appearance on every page as they help readers learn, and they are joined by experts such as a naval architect and an engineer, who offer further explanations. Readers learn the parts of a boat, kinds of sailboats, and how they are made—from the creation of the mold to the making of the mast and sails. Materials and tools used are described; a section covers history's first sailboats. Color photographs provide excellent close-up views of each step and tool, while information is easy to follow and clearly explained. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.