Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/01/2018 Readers will remember Square as the victim of a sneaky trick in Triangle (2017), but here they find him peacefully at work, contentedly pushing square-shaped blocks up a hill. He’s interrupted when Circle floats by and mistakes Square’s rock pile for fine art. Convinced he is a genius sculptor, Circle tells him to make a sculpture of herself by the next day and drifts away before Square has time to respond. Having only just learned what a sculptor is, Square eyes a block, pulls out a hammer and chisel, and starts tentatively chipping away at it. He works into the night and through a rainstorm, until all that’s left of the block are some very un-circle-like fragments, and there’s nothing to be done but lie down in a puddle in defeat. But the morning reveals he might be a genius after all. Funny and lightly philosophical, Barnett’s story gets an extra punch of hilarity with Klassen’s minimalist graphite-and-watercolor artwork. A must for Triangle fans that will leave them wondering how this geometric drama will end.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This tireless, award-winning creative team works deadpan magic like no other, and fans will scoop up this second installment in a planned trilogy. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2018 PreS-Gr 2—In their sequel to Triangle, the Barnett/Klassen dynamic duo follows the previously introduced character of Square. Every day Square pushes one square block from his cave to the top of a hill, adding to a pile of square rocks. "This is his work." One day, Circle floats by, and to Square's bewilderment, sees these square blocks as amazing sculptures—Square is a genius at self-portraits! She requests that he create a sculpture for her. Klassen's minimalist watercolor and graphite illustrations are effective in creating a space for the character's expressive eyes to stand out which enhances the book's underlying humor and sense of irony. Short sentences, a gripping plot, and great page turns make this both an excellent read-aloud and an approachable title for beginning readers. This book takes a sweeter turn from its prankish predecessor in that Square works hard to create something for Circle, only to feel like he failed; but when Circle sees what he created, she is "beguiled" once more by his genius. Though this title will stand alone, children familiar with Triangle might recognize the extra layer of humor at the end when an unnamed narrator poses a game-changer of a question. VERDICT A must purchase that will satisfy old fans and create new ones.—Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.