Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/01/2023 Ambition, temptation, deception, and lying all follow Snake as he slithers through art class and home in this thought-provoking picture book that shows how lying is a costly mistake. Snake's eventual deception arises from his interest in the latest project in Mr. Owl’s art class, the creation of clay pots. Snake’s ambition to create a spectacular pot grows with each step of the process, shown engagingly here through cheerful digital illustrations, with the animal students rolling and coiling clay one week, then painting on glaze, and finally, waiting for the pots to return from the kiln. Snake’s finished pot turns out to be a misshapen blob, but Mr. Owl mixes up Snake’s and his friend Turtle’s labels, misidentifying Turtle’s beautiful pot as Snake’s. Snake stays silent, not correcting Mr. Owl, and then allows his family to praise his purloined pot. Eventually, Snake confesses, trying to make amends and repair his friendship with Turtle, but the power of the story comes from showing how destructive lies and deceit can be. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.