Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 06/01/2023 Things get heated when “warm and open” newcomer Pie steals the spotlight from “eggstraordinary” pal Cake, “the kind of friend that everyone celebrated.” When Pie arrives, Cake brings Pie into the fold, only to be burned when Pie becomes hot stuff among their food friends. “I’ve been desserted,” Cake laments. Cake declares a food fight and gets whipped into shape. When the two dish it out in the ring, tensions escalate among the crowd, and sprinkles start flying. In a tidy resolution, Cake and Pie patch things up between them because “being together is the sweetest thing!” Bardhan-Quallen (Chicks Rock!, 2021) brings plenty of picture-book experience to the table with witty wordplay and baking references that are layered thick throughout the humorous friendship story. Stilwell (What’s for Breakfast?, 2021) lends her expertise illustrating wide-eyed, anthropomorphized food, and the satisfying product of this creative pairing should appeal to readers who gobble up books by Laurie Keller and Jory John. A sweet and pun-filled story like this can be tough to beat for storytimes and read-alouds. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

Booklist - 06/15/2023 Things get heated when “warm and open” newcomer Pie steals the spotlight from “eggstraordinary” pal Cake, “the kind of friend that everyone celebrated.” When Pie arrives, Cake brings Pie into the fold, only to be burned when Pie becomes hot stuff among their food friends. “I’ve been desserted,” Cake laments. Cake declares a food fight and gets whipped into shape. When the two dish it out in the ring, tensions escalate among the crowd, and sprinkles start flying. In a tidy resolution, Cake and Pie patch things up between them because “being together is the sweetest thing!” Bardhan-Quallen (Chicks Rock!, 2021) brings plenty of picture-book experience to the table with witty wordplay and baking references that are layered thick throughout the humorous friendship story. Stilwell (What’s for Breakfast?, 2021) lends her expertise illustrating wide-eyed, anthropomorphized food, and the satisfying product of this creative pairing should appeal to readers who gobble up books by Laurie Keller and Jory John. A sweet and pun-filled story like this can be tough to beat for storytimes and read-alouds. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 05/01/2023 PreS-Gr 2—All's well in the shop as everyone—croissants, cupcakes, brownies, caramel apples, ice cream sandwiches, cookies, doughnuts, etc.—gets along well with one other. However, once Pie moves in, everything changes for Cake who up to this point has been "top tier." The two are friends at first and Cake happily introduces Pie to everyone. Pie soaks up all the praise from her new acquaintances and it quickly goes to her head. She is soon convinced that "I am quite the dish" and a dejected Cake slinks away feeling as if she's "been desserted." The competition to be "flavor of the month" soon leads to a battle which involves all the sweets in the shop. Paper, ink, and digital combine in illustrations filled with detail, color, activity, and speech bubbles galore that burst with food puns and expressions. Due to the intricate details in the desserts and the ongoing conversations, this tale should be shared one-on-one so the pictures can be scrutinized. VERDICT Clever wordplay and detailed illustrations keep this animated tale moving along at a fast pace to delight readers with a scrumptious tale of friendship.—Maryann H. Owen - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.