Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 02/01/2020 Positively bursting with storytime potential, Kitamura’s latest outing (Millie's Marvelous Hat, 2009) starts with a very simply drawn top hat—out of which leaps a rabbit magician named (what else?) Hattie. Then, spurred by repeated calls of “Abracadabra, katakurico,” out comes a comically thunderstruck cat . . . then a squirrel, followed by, even more startlingly, an octopus. On and on comes a succession of likewise unpredictable creatures, each dramatically revealed by a page turn. When, unfortunately, the elephant gets stuck, everyone has to pull together until it finally pops out with a climactic “Kaboom! All fall down!” Is the hat finally empty? No, it’s good for one more, even larger explosion that doubles the cast and even provides a woodsy setting to fill out the previously blank backdrop. “It’s a whole new world of friends!” Though it grows steadily, it's easy to keep track of the cast, whose members are drawn with thick-outlined strokes and placed against a clear white background. Young audiences will loudly echo the closing plaudits: “Brava, Hattie! Bravo, hat!” - Copyright 2020 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 03/01/2020 PreS-Gr 1—Hattie is a bunny who loves performing magic. Usually, it's the rabbit that is in the hat, but Hattie is not your typical magician. Assuming the stance, Hattie says the magic words—"Abracadabra, katakurico"—and asks, "What's in the hat?" Readers who notice that there are two little ears peeking out will no doubt sing out, "Rabbit." Wrong! It's a cat! Sure enough, a slightly befuddled cat pops out. Hattie continues with one surprise after another, making kids interact with the text. The animals become unpredictable (one is an octopus!), which will delight children. Hattie is a wonderful magician who ties all these crazy animals together in a very satisfying ending. VERDICT The interactivity of this book makes it a perfect read-aloud for young children. Its bright colors and the funny faces on the animals all work to make this a book that early childhood educators will want in their libraries.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.