Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/05/2021 Gr 1–2—In short chapters geared to newly proficient readers, an inquisitive child with spunk takes home a chicken she finds in the park, hoping it will be her pet. Starla Jean is a lively young white girl who enjoys being one with nature and riding her bike with her father. She narrates, and her droll tone is sure to draw readers in as she explains how she became a chicken expert. For good reasons, she names the chicken Opal Egg. In fact, Starla has a good reason for everything she does, and though the story is little more than a shaggy dog tale, but with a chicken, there is a happy ending. VERDICT A funny introduction to a new character and series, best for its humorous narration and a charming baby sister.—Annmarie Braithwaite, New York P.L., New York City - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/15/2021 In her bright-red boots and denim jumper, Starla Jean is ready for anything. And a good thing, too, because when she and her dad get to the park, she hears a might bawk! and finds an ugly, scrawny chicken scritch-scratching for worms. Clearly, the bird is lost, so Starla Jean asks her dad if they can take it home, to which he utters the fateful reply, “If you can catch it, you can keep it!” So, she does. Over the course of four chapters, colorfully illustrated by Kang in a mix of sweet scenes and hilarious spot art, Starla Jean and her family make found-chicken signs, try to figure out what Opal Egg (the chicken’s name, obvi) eats, and face a tough decision. A charming start to a promising new early chapter-book series. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.