Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 11/01/2016 Farmer Brown’s barnyard animals are still going strong in the series that started with the hilarious Click, Clack, Moo (2000). Once again the action in the barnyard comes to life with endearingly wacky pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations and fun-on-the-tongue word combinations (like slurp-a-lurp and snippety-clip). It’s Little Duck’s first birthday, and the farm is abuzz with preparations. Little Duck really wants to shine, so he imitates the grooming of the other animals. Things start off well with Big Duck, who rub-a-dubs clean in a bubble bath in one of Farmer Brown’s buckets. But when the sheep trim their wool, Little Duck shears his own feathers; and his imitation of the chickens’ dust bath leaves him a mess. The pattern continues until Little Duck arrives, thoroughly disheveled, at his party to a chorus of “Happy Birthday to . . . ewww!” It’s no surprise that the wordplay, repetition, and silly situations created by Cronin and Lewin make for another fantastic read-aloud in the Click, Clack, Moo cannon. - Copyright 2016 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 11/01/2016 PreS-Gr 1—In the 11th "Click, Clack" book by Cronin and Lewin, Farmer Brown and the animals are preparing for Little Duck's birthday party. Once the cake is baked, the decorations hung, and the games chosen, the animals focus on spiffing themselves up for the event. In turn, the duck, sheep, cat, chickens, and pigs "rub-a-dub," "snippity-clip," "slurp-a-lurp," "shimmy-shake," and "squish and squash" clean. Little Duck follows their example, ending with a dust bath and a roll in a mud puddle. Readers are likely to get caught up in the onomatopoeic fun and may be inspired by Lewin's energetic watercolors to wiggle, shake, and strut along with the animals. VERDICT Sure to be a lively storytime read-aloud. Recommended for most picture book collections.—Jennifer Costa, Cambridge Public Library, MA - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.