Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 10/15/2018 “I’m the whiskers of this neighborhood. And if it flutters, scurries, or scampers here, I know about it,” prefaces cat-turned-sleuth Muffin on the first page of this delightful romp through picture-book noir, in which Muffin investigates the mysterious appearance of a bear in the bakery where she lives with her owner. Sarcone-Roach balances sweet and unexpected metaphors (“Warm, like a bath mat in the sunshine. It smelled like that bath mat needed a bath”) with wry moments of humor (“I had a tail. I mean, my tail had a tail. I mean there was something in the darkness”). Her warm and gestural illustrations, meanwhile, depict moody vignettes of the city at night, with shadowy alleys illuminated by the soft glow of lit windows. As the mystery builds, Sarcone-Roach's detailed scenes give way to simpler backgrounds, highlighting with only a few brushstrokes the outsize reactions of emotive Muffin. Adults will appreciate the tacit nods to classic sleuth stories, and young readers will adore the simple yet expressive illustrations. A cute and direct, yet elevated, tale. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 12/01/2018 PreS-Gr 2—Contrary to what the name implies, there are no bears at The Little Bear Bakery…just ask Muffin the orange marmalade cat. "I'm the whiskers of this neighborhood. And if it flutters, scurries, or scampers here, I know about it." The feline is tops at identifying every, "Scratch scratch squeak" and "Clang crash crunch crunch." So, when she hears an unfamiliar, "grrrrrr," she knows this is not an everyday mouse or raccoon. In fact, it is a small bear with a rumbling tummy. The kindly Muffin offers up chocolate cake, donuts, and cookies to quiet the rumbles, but soon realizes that they have company. "It was an enormous bear. It smelled like the dumpster on a hot day and rumbled louder than the vacuum cleaner." After a thank you hug, it downs some rainbow sprinkles and exits with its baby through the back window as the sun rises. Muffin is ready for a nap after her exciting night shift just as the baker awakens to an inexplicable, jaw-dropping mess. The illustrations, rendered in acrylic, paint, cut paper, and markers with a palette of blues, black, orange, and yellow, are reminiscent of Don Freeman's work. The front endpapers feature a scrumptious array of iced buns, cookies, donuts, and eclairs, while the back ones show the remnants of the night's feast—nothing but crumbs and a half-eaten donut near a small gray mouse exclaiming, "I love sprinkles!" VERDICT This is not only a winning read-aloud, but also an excellent choice to introduce a mystery unit or a mini-lesson on onomatopoeia or simile. Another hit from the creator of The Bear Ate Your Sandwich.—Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.