Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2017 K-Gr 3—Donaldson, beloved author of The Gruffalo and professed fan of Edward Lear, tackles a sequel to one of his most famous nonsense poems. A fleet rhythm—faithful to Lear's elliptical meter and similarly peppered with internal rhyme—propels readers through the absurdist landscape, gently rendered by illustrator Voake (who provided the artwork for a previous edition of the original poem). At more than twice the length of Lear's creation, Donaldson's poem packs in more story—not necessarily the point of fantastical verse. New characters and several new destinations send the romantic pair on a whirlwind quest with less of the wandering lilt of the original. Voake's warm watercolors enrich the tale, evoking the atmosphere of each stop as the pair search for their missing wedding ring from the rocky beach of Chankly Bore to the precipitous slope of Jelly Bo Lee. Charming extratextual details, such as a spiral tree ramp traversed by doves, invite readers to spend more time rambling through Voake's imaginative world. And while Donaldson offers no indelible neologism in the vein of the runcible spoon, she proves deft with existing language, trippingly delivering phrases such as "impeccable gossamer gloves" and "the luminous Nose." VERDICT A sprightly piece of insubstantiality, suitable for nonsense lovers with a bit of an attention span.—Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/15/2017 Donaldson pays homage to British poet Edward Lear in this new follow-up to Lear’s poem “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat.” This time, Owl and Pussy-cat, happy married, have their shared wedding ring stolen in the middle of the night. In singsong, occasionally rhyming verse, they travel to find the nocturnal thief: “But down flew a crow who unraveled the bow / And flew off with the ring in his beak, / His beak, / His beak, / And flew off with the ring in his beak.” Never fear: the duo is able to come up with a solution that satisfies everyone. Voake’s pen-and-watercolor illustrations are a charmingly quirky fit for the text, with scenes often taking up a two-page spread, some of them gentle, and others quite exciting (as when the Owl and Pussy-cat take off in a hot-air balloon over the sea). Those who love Lear’s poems will delight in seeing familiar characters. They’ll also be glad to know Voake has illustrated Lear’s original The Owl and the Pussy-cat, too, put out by the publisher simultaneously with this volume. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.