Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 04/01/2013 K-Gr 2—Rainbows, smiling cupcakes, and flying unicorns in one picture book can be a recipe for a cutesy-wootsy disaster, but not so in this hilarious friendship story. Nothing has gone right for Goat since Unicorn arrived. He seems to best Goat in every way, including making it rain cupcakes. "Dopey Unicorn! Thinks he's so great!…Look at me! I'm Unicorn! I think I'm so-o-o cool!" the goat cries, in full-on Willems's Pigeon mode, while sporting a plunger in mockery of Unicorn's horn. However, when an unlikely scenario involving goat-cheese pizza brings the two together, Goat discovers that Unicorn isn't so full of himself after all-"Just look at your fantastic horn"; "Eh, it's just for show. All it's good for is pointing" -and they become fast friends. Shea's cartoon illustrations are perfectly suited to expressing the characters' varied emotions while keeping the story very tongue-in-cheek, with lots of giggle-worthy details. An ideal choice for fans of silliness.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2013 Goat had it pretty good until annoyingly amazing Unicorn moved into the neighborhood. Goat’s bike-riding pales in comparison to Unicorn’s flying skills, as does his baking ability—Goat’s marshmallow squares come out “almost right” while Unicorn can make it rain multicolored cupcakes. In a series of small illustrations that evoke similar spreads in Mo Willems’ Pigeon books, jealous Goat mocks Unicorn: “Dopey Unicorn! Thinks he’s so great! How can anyone be friends with that guy?! Look at me! I’m Unicorn! I think I’m so-o-o cool! Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah . . .” Goat’s perspective changes when Unicorn raves over Goat’s goat-cheese pizza, confesses that his single horn really isn’t that useful, and admires Goat’s cloven hooves. Goat imagines a future of kick-butt crime-fighting for the newly bonded duo but acquiesces to Unicorn’s simple suggestion to instead play together in the park. Youngsters who have themselves been one-upped by a new kid will sympathize with Goat and find it satisfying to learn that Unicorn has his own perceived shortcomings. The casual tone and slightly snarky humor of Shea’s narration will also resonate with many upper primary and middle graders. The lively art (sharply drawn lines contrasting with planes of citrus-hued color) and font-color cues underscore the contrast between modest blue-gray Goat and the fab white Unicorn with his bright orange mane and tail and perpetual surrounding cloud of rainbows, stars, and sparkles. Pair this with Willems’ The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog (BCCB 7/04), or pull it out to cheer up a bummed kiddo who feels sidelined by the skills of his or her peers. JH - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 05/01/2013 *Starred Review* Goat feels upstaged by Unicorn, who seems to do everything better than he does. (Goat can almost prepare marshmallow squares; Unicorn can make it rain cupcakes.) But everything changes when Unicorn discovers Goat’s special gifts: goat cheese! cloven hooves! (“What is up with those hooves?” Unicorn asks. “Those things are out of control.”) Now it’s Unicorn’s turn to be deflated, even kicking rainbows out of the way, until a terrific idea is born. Together, they will be unstoppable. Goat and Unicorn are simply shaped cartoonlike figures with colored bodies and faces that are highly expressive, though executed with a minimum of lines. When Unicorn is front and center, the pages are full of soft, bright rainbow colors with stars and lots of golden images. Goat is pictured less energetically, and his color is fittingly blue. But as things brighten for him, so does his bright orange background. Then, as friends, the duo are surrounded by a circle of gold. Shea’s cleverly written tale makes this a standout, but there’s substance here, too. The grass may always seem greener, but the message comes across that everybody has special strengths, and togetherness can often maximize them. This tale of discovered friendship will delight unicorn fans and perhaps create new fans for goats. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.