Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2017 If Curly’s angry eyebrows and severe frown don’t clue readers into her foul mood, then the grumpy, rainbow-splotched cloud hovering above her will. Playful cynic Snicket traces the cloud’s movement through a town, as it’s passed like contagion from one person to the next. Having been denied ice cream, brooding Curly feels much better after poking her little brother with a stick. But now her mother’s annoyed, harrumphing down the sidewalk with the moody cloud tucked beneath her arm. Cue the raccoon that takes up Curly’s discarded stick and startles handyman Lou straight into a mud puddle. Mom can’t help but giggle, and so the cloud drifts to its new, sodden companion. The pattern continues until a series of cheerful events (courtesy of the stick) usurps the story, resulting in a (mostly) happy ending. Rather than employ sullen hues, as one might expect, Forsythe’s artwork glows with sunset tones of marigold, magenta, amethyst, and yellow. His stylized, two-dimensional illustrations stand in sprightly opposition to the hovering mad-mood cloud, adding visual humor to Snicket’s droll tale. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Snicket comes with a built-in fan base, so stave off grumpy patrons by ordering multiple copies of this one. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 10/01/2017 PreS-Gr 2—Cause and effect get the Snicket treatment in this amusing tale. Because of the bad mood—visually represented as a frowning, multicolored cloud—Curly pokes her brother with the stick. Instead of following the familiar arc of her misbehavior, regret, and reconciliation, the story veers into unexpected territory: the poking completely cheers up Curly and the bad mood transfers to Curly's mother. (Parents will groan in utter recognition.) The bad mood and the stick then go on to affect other characters across the town, resulting in a wedding attended by "everyone in this book." All of this unfolds in the understated voice that Snicket does so well, particularly with the slyly funny repeated phrase "You never know what is going to happen." Forsythe's thickly outlined gouache, ink, and pencil illustrations add retro flair to the story. The various white- and brown-skinned humans resemble Peanuts characters with their heavy outlines, circular heads, and cartoonishly simple yet expressive faces. Pair with Fortunately by Remy Charlip and discuss predictions, or with Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day for more on bad moods and their causes. VERDICT A cheerfully wacky read-aloud sure to brighten listeners' moods.— Sarah Stone, San Francisco Public Library - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.