Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2014 An unseen narrator converses with a disgruntled cat, who holds up his end of the communication with signs, props, and with facial expressions, about the cat’s jealousy of the Easter Bunny’s popularity. When the narrator suggests that the cat become “the Easter Cat” and hand out goodies as well, the cat takes to the notion, planning to travel by motorcycle in order to beat the Easter Bunny at finishing his rounds and to wear a sparkly suit and top hat to trump the E. B.’s vest ensemble. Before the cat can zoom off, however, the Easter Bunny himself kindly shows up with a chocolate egg for the cat. The Easter Bunny’s evident tiredness inspires Cat to add a sidecar to his motorcycle, allowing the bunny to nap while Cat delivers the rest of the eggs. In each spread, Underwood’s streamlined text, humorous in its slightly parental tone, faces Rueda’s ink and colored pencil drawings. Cat’s nonverbal communication will intrigue the same kids who like cracking the picture-talk code of Runton’s Owl and Wormy books; Cat’s signs and facial expressions are cheekily amusing, sometimes contradicting the narrator (he holds up a poster of hearts while sticking out his tongue in disgust as the narrator states, “Well, of course everyone loves the Easter Bunny”). Pair this with Shea’s Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great (BCCB 7/13) for a silly story session about jealousy, add it to an Easter or cat storytime lineup, or tuck it into a cat-lover’s Easter basket. JH - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 01/01/2014 PreS-Gr 2—What happens when a lazy cat decides he wants to take over Easter? Readers meet Cat, who conveys his thoughts with pictures and facial expressions. As the story progresses, Cat becomes more and more convinced he is the perfect candidate to replace the Easter Bunny. Will he get his way? The narrator, who kids will enjoy pretending to be, explains Cat's actions and asks all the right questions. "Clothes? No, you don't need special clothes. Well…the Easter Bunny does wear a very nice vest. Wow. That's very…sparkly." This is a book that will be enjoyed in storytimes as well as one-on-one. The wonderful ink-and-color pencil illustrations depict the characters' expressions perfectly, enabling children to decipher what is happening even without the narrative. The combination of witty text, plentiful white space, and brilliant images make this a truly winning book, especially for libraries looking to expand their Easter collections.—Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/01/2014 Have you ever noticed that no holidays have cats as their mascots? The silent cat in Here Comes the Easter Cat has, and he’s a bit put off by it. Communicating with a patient narrator through signage, facial expressions, and body language, the cat reveals that he plans to take over the Easter Bunny’s job, roaring along on his motorcycle and delivering those Easter eggs himself (the narrator helpfully suggests that delivering hairballs might not be the way to go). Until, that is, he finds out that the exhausting egg-delivery schedule doesn’t include time for his customary seven naps. Nevertheless, he manages to find a way to lend a helping hand and contribute to the holiday after all. Underwood (The Quiet Book, 2010) offers a hilarious give-and-take between feline and narrator that will work across a wide age range, as she imbues the cat with a prickly but eager personality, without having him utter a word. Rueda gets the joke, enhancing the fun with soft, warm tones; a great “performance” from the cat; and plenty of clever sight gags. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.