Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2023 PreS-Gr 2—Pinkney's latest picture book is a playful and vibrant story of friendship. Otter and Beaver are best friends. When they come across a tumbling stream, Otter sees it as the perfect place to play, while Beaver sees it as just the spot to build a dam. The two friends seem at odds, until a mishap shows that they can work together to both get what they want. The text accurately captures the personalities of the two creatures and will make for an engaging read-aloud. The ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations are bold and vibrant. They capture the movement of the water and animals perfectly. VERDICT With a clear cadence and plenty of charm, this is an ideal read-aloud to introduce lessons on friendship and compromise.—V. Lynn Christiansen - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 01/01/2023 Odd dynamics don’t spoil this friendship story but may leave more literal-minded young readers floundering. Otter delights in playing with sticks and branches in the rushing water, but Beaver “really really really really” needs them to build a dam—and so repeatedly snatches them out of Otter’s paws. At last Otter, playfully or otherwise, pulls a stick out of the finished dam, which causes it to collapse, whereupon the two join paws to dive into the newly freed freshet after a new stick. Both seem repentant at the end, but Otter looks distinctly annoyed earlier on, which sends a mixed signal about whether the dam represented a conflict of agendas or a cooperative project all along. Still, Pinkney’s big, swirling brushwork gives the fluvial setting plenty of visual flow. Chunky Beaver and his sinuous (ungendered) playmate are expressively posed, and by the end, both they and the little bird and turtle that have been looking on are amicably side by side. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.