Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 06/01/2018 PreS-Gr 2—Rhee tells the legend of Sun-sin and his best friend, a turtle named Gobugi, and how they came to invent the Turtle Ship. After hearing that the Emperor is holding a contest for the best battleship design, Sun-sin presents Gobugi as inspiration for a great vessel, having witnessed the turtle's smart physical design. At first the Emperor rejects the idea, but after seeing Gobugi survive an encounter with a cat, he declares Sun-sin the winner, making history. The plot is loosely based on a true story, but reads like a delightful folktale that skillfully incorporates moral lessons about strength and appearances. The vocabulary is simple enough for the audience, and the text is well formatted on the page. There is one battle scene, though nothing too heavy or graphic is depicted. Kong-Savage's collage illustrations bring the story to life through almost 3-D imagery and are beautiful to look at. The use of muted colors to depict the home of Sun-sin contrasts nicely with the brighter colors of the Emperor's palace, creating an excellent source of tension. The illustrators and the narrative work together wonderfully to tell this fascinating episode in Korean naval history. VERDICT A great mix of myth and history for most picture book collections.—Margaret Kennelly, iSchool at Urbana-Champaign, IL - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 07/01/2018 Part history, part folktale, this fictional retelling offers the origins of the sixteenth-century Korean battleship Gobukson and its creator, Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Young Sun-sin was a lonely little boy who spent all his time with his best friend, a green sea turtle named Gobugi, on whom the restless boy often relied for patience, wisdom, and steadiness. One day the palace announces a competition to design a new battleship, which inspires Sun-sin with its reward of money and travel. After a few failed design attempts, Sun-sin realizes that Gobugi, with his shape, shell, and defensive turtle mechanics is the perfect design for a battleship. He heads to the royal court, where he is predictably met with scorn until serendipity intervenes and the king sees Sun-sin’s point. A cheerful narrative speeds the plot along, but readers will want to linger on the gorgeous hand-cut paper-collage illustrations. Slightly text heavy, this unusual story is best suited to slightly older picture-book readers. The afterword and author’s and illustrator’s notes are not to be missed, as they provide depth and context. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.