Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/01/2018 PreS-Gr 1—What is a friend? Florian's latest poetry picture book brings children together to giggle, frown, and yell out words about friendship. The first poem, "What Friends Are For," is the perfect way to start talking about friendship with youngsters. Readers will laugh, sympathize, and relate to the verse that runs an emotional gamut from loss to new beginnings. The mixed-media illustrations are cheerful and bring each entry together with images of hearts and children smiling, hugging, and working together. Florian's use of bright colors in the background is delightful. Orange, blue, and yellow splash across the pages. Just like friendship, some of the poems are funny like "Give and Take," in which friends give each other things, including a cold. In "You're Not My Best Friend," readers will giggle at the prospect of being friend number 993. Young ones will enjoy this wonderful collection of poems about close friends or even a friend who—in the illustrations—drifts away. Opportunities for group readings abound with some poems incorporating more than one voice. VERDICT An amazing collection to read aloud and share with a group—add this new favorite to poetry shelves.— - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 08/01/2018 Florian, whose previous poetry collections have celebrated such varied topics as dinosaurs (Dinothesaurus, 2009), trees (Poetrees?, 2010), and pirates (Shiver Me Timbers!, 2012), here turns his attention to relationships. Many of the 23 rhymes pay tribute to friendships (“I Like You,” “The Fabulous Five,” and “Friendship Is a Flower”), but a fair number also observe relationship difficulties (“You Lied to Me,” “Billy the Bully,” and “Moved”). Several are designed for two voices (“Old Friends,” “I’m Better,” and “Opposites”), and almost all evince Florian’s characteristic upbeat, humorous style. The artwork (colored pencil and crayon on manila paper) has a childlike feel, particularly in the backgrounds where crayon strokes are clearly visible. Florian also makes clever use of exaggeration to illustrate his points: for example, “Old Friends” who each know what the other thinks, are portrayed with beehive hairdos that connect. This will be welcomed by Florian’s numerous fans and should also be useful for classroom character education discussions. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.