Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 06/01/2013 PreS-Gr 1—Cronin and Lewin have teamed up again to bring Farmer Brown and his clever barnyard animals back for a Halloween read-aloud. Farmer Brown leaves a bowl of candy on the porch, locks up the house, puts up a "Do Not Disturb" sign, and prepares to sleep through the holiday, but his animals have other plans for the evening. The repeated use of onomatopoeia successfully sets the mood for a crunching, creaking, tapping-filled night as the man is kept awake by the noise. When he spies a dark, lurking figure through the window, he realizes that his animal friends are at it again. His candy has disappeared and a new note appears on his door-"Halloween Party at the Barn!" Lewin's broad, black lines and watercolor paintings add just the right amount of shadow and spookiness to complement the simple text, creating a story that is creepy enough for Halloween storyhours, but not enough to scare young listeners. Fans of this creative team's other barnyard adventures will not be surprised to learn the identity of the caped figure responsible for the revelry and will enjoy this Halloween treat.—Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 06/01/2013 Not everybody likes Halloween. Like many small children, Farmer Brown finds its sights and sounds downright terrifying. He copes by leaving a bowl of candy on the porch and a “DO NOT DISTURB” sign on the door. But that night, someone creaks across his porch, swipes his candy, and hammers a “HALLOWEEN PARTY at the barn!” poster onto his door. Incensed, Farmer Brown investigates, only to discover that he has won an unexpected honor. A holiday-themed picture book in the series that began with the Caldecott Honor Book Click, Clack, Moo (2000), this sequel features many of the qualities that have made the books so popular: a concise text with a storyteller’s sense of sound and rhythm, strong and expressive brush-and-watercolor illustrations that show up well from a distance, and Farmer Brown’s push-pull relationship with Duck, his independent-minded antagonist. A somewhat spooky, decidedly droll read-aloud choice for October. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.