Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 06/01/2019 K-Gr 2—As an invisible narrator begins to express a distaste for math, a three-eyed purple alien arrives in a flying saucer to make a case for why math is important and helpful. Unconvinced, the narrator makes several attempts to love math but these efforts seem to prove that math is boring. All of these arguments are rebuffed by the alien, who shows that math is a crucial part of cooking, music, nature, and navigation. By the end of the book, both the narrator and the reader come to the realization that math is connected to many things that they enjoy, so maybe they already love it. This engaging volume is filled with colorful, splashy illustrations; two unique lettering styles are used to differentiate between the narrator's words and those spoken by the alien. Although it is not as much of a smash as Barton's I'm Trying to Love Spiders, this book offers ample opportunity for readers to interact with the text and have conversations with and about the narrator and the friendly, pro-math alien. VERDICT For early elementary students who are showing an aversion to mathematical concepts, Barton's characters might show them that real-life math applications exist in things that they already love.—Sarah Reid, Four County Library System, NY - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 06/01/2019 For young readers who don’t find math interesting comes this funny picture book about the wondrous ways in which math infuses our world. A friendly purple alien in a flying saucer points out the unexpected places where math can be found, from the strings on a guitar to cookie recipes. The many benefits of math are put on display as well: it helps us communicate, parse information globally, and get to where we need to go. Our clever alien friend explores the world of arithmetic (and beyond) through lively illustrations, making use of conversation bubbles as he communicates with an unnamed narrator, who represents the mathematically disinclined reader. Interactive elements are plentiful, through question-and-answer pages as well as moments where readers are instructed to “shake the book” in order to clear the glut of numbers that have covered the pages. Full of interesting and amazing facts and the many ways math is crucial in our everyday lives, this entertaining, vibrant text is sure to get young readers excited about the subject. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.