Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 11/01/2015 PreS-Gr 2—In addition to sharing a first name, Worm and Worm love each other and decide to get married. Their friends have several ideas about what the wedding needs: someone to perform the service, a best beetle, bride's bees, rings, a band, cake, and outfits. When the best beetle and bride's bees start fretting about who is the bride and who is the groom, both worms declare that they are willing to be the bride and the groom. Cricket the officiant declares that's not how it's done, but Worm and Worm decide to change tradition and are happily married. With a white backdrop to each page, Curato's pencil and Photoshop illustrations convey the emotions each creature feels as it makes elaborate plans for the wedding. The story is nicely paced and can be a great way to introduce children to what might happen at a wedding. Most important, though, are the subtle yet effective messages of what's important when two individuals decide to wed. VERDICT With its cute critters, sweet story, and messages of equality, this is a first purchase that celebrates the fact that love always wins.—Liz Anderson, D.C. Public Library - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 12/01/2015 Worm and Worm love each other and want to get married. A cheerful assortment of cartoon bugs, rendered in pencil and Photoshop on open, white backgrounds, give the couple a lot of advice about wedding traditions. They’ll need a “best beetle,” “bride’s bees,” a white dress, a tuxedo, and so on. None of that stuff matters to Worm and Worm, but they’re agreeable. They’ll wear rings like belts (they don’t have fingers) and get cake for their friends, even though they “only eat dirt.” When asked who’s the bride and who’s the groom, however, they’re firm: “We can be both.” Cricket objects, since that's “not how it’s done,” and the worms cheerfully reply, “Then we’ll just change how it’s done.” This timely title is a warm and easy way to introduce the idea of same-sex marriage to children, and given that many worm species are hermaphroditic, the character choice is particularly apt. Many children will grasp the larger message—marriage is about love—while others may simply enjoy the warm characters and comical story. - Copyright 2015 Booklist.