Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 11/01/2014 K-Gr 2—Rocket's engaging personality shines through once again in this beginning reader. Just as in the original picture books, the pup's adventures focus on his positive dealings with his animal companions and, of course, his insatiable enthusiasm for learning. This story revolves around the traditional school celebration of the 100th Day. Like many kindergarten and first-grade students, Rocket is collecting assorted objects to equal the important number. On the big day, however, he discovers that Bella, a squirrel, has eaten five acorns. Ingeniously, Rocket settles on a plan to make up for the shortfall. He and his four pals will become part of the collection, bringing the count to 99, and adding their new friend Bella will equal 100. Sweet and satisfying, this story has suitably spare text and pictures that ooze with charm.—Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 12/01/2014 In the fifth book about Rocket, we discover him searching for 100 things for the one hundredth day of school. He gets help from five friends, including Bella the squirrel, who allows him to store his treasures in her nest. Some of the unusual objects that Rocket and his friends obtain for his stash include heart-shaped stones, sticks in numerical numbers, alphabet letters that Rocket makes himself, as well as words he writes. When the one hundredth day arrives, Rocket adds up the number of items in his stash and finds it five items short. What happened to the five acorns? Rocket’s quick and flexible solution provides a satisfying end to a charming early reader. The simple text uses short sentences, repetition, and illustrations that support the emerging reader when more difficult words are introduced. Pair this with 100th Day Worries, by Margery Cuyler, and Emily’s First 100 Days of School, by Rosemary Wells (both 2000). - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2015 Tad Hills’ pedagogically inclined canine hero Rocket has moved into beginning-reader format, and here he’s preparing for that popular rite of passage, the 100th day of school. His friends help him gather his 100 items, ranging from words to pencils to acorns, and an obliging squirrel, Bella, allows him to store his collection in the tree hollow where she lives. When Rocket’s five acorns go missing from the tree, Bella confesses that she couldn’t resist eating them (“I LOVE ACORNS SO MUCH!”); fortunately, Rocket comes up with an ingenious substitute that not only gets him to 100 but allows him to showcase his five helpful friends as well. The plot is more mild-mannered than dramatic, but it touches on elements relevant to young audiences-problem-solving, forgiveness, and lack of self-control in the face of a beloved snack, in addition to the 100 objects challenge. Hills’ expansive spot art, in colored pencil and acrylic, is cleverly styled, with action pared down from picture-book level to suit the greater weight of text, but with design still suggesting an illustrative prominence that makes diving into the text less daunting. The portraits are therefore particularly key, and furry Rocket, with his slightly anxious eyes, is satisfying as both cuddly pet and kid stand-in. Young Rocket fans will cheerfully follow him in any trim size, and kids struggling with the 100 days challenge may appreciate the support. DS - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.