Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2023 Two teachers tell their classrooms of students—one full of humans and one full of unicorns—that their art and pen-pal units have been combined for the year, and they will be mailing pictures and letters to their assigned matches. Constance the human and Nicole the unicorn are matched, and throughout the school year, they ask each other questions about life, lessons, sports, books, and cats, and they share disappointments, recommendations, and (of course) creative paintings. They meet at the end-of-the-year Pen Pal Art Festival, where they work together to create a stellar mural. This clear partner piece to Funk’s earlier Dear Dragon: A Pen Pal Tale (2016) has a handful of clever miscommunications about snowmen, dragons, and castles, and it will appeal to unicorn fans and burgeoning artists alike. The digital artwork for Constance’s all-too-human negativity, pessimism, complaining, and darker-tinted paintings are tempered by Nicole’s sweet, colorful, soft, and charming paintings with the requisite amount of rainbows, sparkles, and glowing optimism. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 11/01/2023 K-Gr 3—Pen pals with a twist. Connie and Nic are paired as part of a class assignment. Each assumes their correspondent is of the same species, but in truth Connie is an elementary-age girl and Nic is a pink unicorn. Their postal exchange leads to some goofy gaffes—Connie mistakes Nic's "horn injury" to be musical instrument—related and Nic uses the colloquialism "hoofing it" literally when describing a race to Connie. The silliness stems from the dramatic misunderstandings behind it all, and despite this work's light tone, Funk manages to capture the scope of school-aged life. While this follow-up to Funk's Dear Dragon would easily anchor an elementary classroom writing activity or two, its appeal may not extend to preschool unicorn fans due to its format and illustrations. Santoso's digital artwork lacks the amplified cute factor of other popular standouts in the unicorn genre: Uni the Unicorn, Not Quite Narwhal, and Unicorn (And Horse). VERDICT Funk's fantastical pen pal mix-up will draw in older readers looking for a relatable story with magical vibes. A recommended purchase.—Sarah Simpson - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.