Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/01/2018 PreS-Gr 1—A newly constructed tugboat is launched and ready to strut his stuff. He dubs himself Tough Tug and shows off his agility with swirls and twirls. His first assignment is to tow a barge to Alaska. He is very excited and challenges Arctic Tug to race him all the way. The fun and games come to an end when Arctic Tug loses power on the open seas. Tough Tug leaves his barge and tows Arctic Tug back to port. He then picks up his barge and delivers it to Anchorage. He is congratulated of doing a job well done. This story will teach children that no matter what their size, they can succeed if they put your mind to it. The digital illustrations of the boats are drawn to depict human physical traits, such as mustaches, mouths, eyes, teeth, and various types of hats to fit their personalities. The font changes from page to page sometimes to emphasize the action, or to indicate which tug is speaking, or possibly to reinforce vocabulary. However, more often than not, it seems extraneous to say "Heavy Seas! Heavy Seas!" and it also makes for a cluttered to the presentation. VERDICT A feel-good story about a small individual overcoming obstacles. An additional purchase where readers can't get enough of Hardie Gramatky's Little Toot and Stephen Savage's Little Tug.—Annmarie Braithwaite, New York Public Library - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.