Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/15/2020 Clever Hans was a horse who got his name because he could do all kinds of things that people didn't think animals could do: math problems, spelling, reading exercises, and more. His owner, Wilhelm von Osten, trained him and believed in him wholeheartedly, but some people thought Clever Hans' skills were nothing more than a trick. Scientists and scholars came from around the world to study Clever Hans, eventually determining that, while he may not have actually been solving math problems, he was reading the people around him to find the right answers. The study of Hans led scientists to develop new processes when researching animals and people who know they're being observed. Lowery's one-dimensional cartoon illustrations are playful and bold; through panels, spot art, and Hans' particularly expressive (and not especially realistic) face, he helps make this sometimes-complex piece of science history digestible for younger readers. Budding horse fans, history fans, and science fans will all find something here to pique their interests. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.

Booklist - 03/15/2020 - Copyright 2020 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 06/01/2020 Gr 2–4—This picture book shares the story of Clever Hans, a horse who could supposedly count, add, and tell time. Wilhelm von Osten, who lived in Berlin in 1904, owned Hans, an intelligent, talented horse. Crowds appeared on the street daily to observe Hans. Scientists, scholars, and others came to prove that the horse's skills were a hoax. Oskar Pfungst, an assistant of psychologist Carl Stumpf, put blinders on Hans. He determined that the horse needed to see in order to count and tell time. This "discovery" led to the theory that the horse was really interpreting people's faces and body movements to determine if he was right. Pfgunst continued to explore this early concept of body language. The book ends with an explanation of the "Clever Hans effect" (an actual term in psychology) as well as how scientific interpretation requires double-blind testing. Lowery's realistic, cartoon-style drawings are appealing. VERDICT A unique and enlightening story about a lesser-known historical moment and its effects on the field of psychology that would work well as a read-aloud or jumping-off point for a unit on animal and human intelligence and psychology.—Susan Lissim, Dwight Sch., New York - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.