Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 08/01/2017 PreS-Gr 1—Federica is a small girl with a big problem. She lives in a messy home with quirky parents too busy to clean. To escape all the dirt, clutter, bugs, and vermin indoors, Federica visits a nearby park. The park inspires her to solve the problem. Bring the creatures who live at the park to her home to do what they do naturally—eat, chase, and lick. To start with, she brings in sheep and goats, graciously asking her father's permission first, and he distractedly assents. Spider and dragonflies, toads and owls, and, lastly, raccoons follow Federica into her messy home, up the stairs, and into her bedroom. For the second part of her plan, the girl asks her mother if the family, including her baby sibling, can picnic. As soon as the family members leave, the herd of creatures go to work, chomping up bugs, mice, and garbage; eating overgrown plants; and even cleaning the dishes with their tongues. When everyone gets home, the house is sparkling clean and, to the surprise of Mum and Dad, the helpful creatures are still there. They go back to the park, and Federica and her family visit them, but only after taking time each day to keep the house clean. Ritchie has created ink and computer rendered comiclike illustrations. The first two pages, a double illustration of a very messy family kitchen, perfectly set the mood for the entire book. With goggle-eyed bugs and household items strewn about, children will enjoy pointing at items in the illustrations and naming them. Plenty of conversational prose breaks up the longer passages and keeps the story engaging. VERDICT Children and caregivers are sure to savor this tale of a problem-solving girl; a strong choice for picture book shelves.—Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.