Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 05/31/2024 K-Gr 2—The basic premise of the original The Cat in the Hat book is present in this graphic novel version. Instead of a boring rainy day for Sally and her brother, it is a quiet, sunny afternoon. The fish in its fishbowl continues to be the voice of reason as there are no adults around to mitigate the Cat's wild ideas of fun. The fun for today is to turn the house into a giant pool so they can all enjoy swimming and playing together while including the fish. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are there as well to speed the chaos along. Soon, the children realize that a totally flooded house is a problem and, along with the Cat, they must put things back as they were before their parents return. Plenty of bright colors and onomatopoeias abound. Varied panel sizes and close-ups move the action along. Unfortunately, the plot is thin, and the dialogue is weak and lacking humor. Sometimes, you cannot improve on the original. VERDICT Graphic novel adaptations of classics can work, but in this case, the result is a watered down (pun intended) version of a great book that the target audience still enjoys immensely.—Elisabeth LeBris - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.