Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 02/01/2021 After a car accident (with a giant acorn) leaves Bear in need of a new headlight, he zips around the oversize forest world of Whiskers Hollow, rounding up anthropomorphic animal friends on the way to rummage around Elephant’s Old Junk Tree. After some mild mishaps, the gang finds a new car part and, more important, enjoy one another’s company—but that’s all beside the point. The magic of this book is in its world building. The subtitle gives a hint, which the glorious endpapers turn into a promise, presenting an intricate map of Whiskers Hollow and its dozens of labeled locales, most set within the hollowed trunks of massive trees. There’s a fun mid-twentieth-century flavor to the designs, established through clothing, furnishings, and technology, especially Bear’s red 1940s Chevy pickup, and Light—as always—works absolute wonders in the stunningly detailed line work of his trademark fountain pens, shaded in with soft watercolors. Children poring over his art will fall entirely into Whiskers Hollow and make stories of their own as they await future adventures in this absorbing universe. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 03/01/2021 Gr 1–2—After a fender bender involving an acorn and his beloved old truck, Bear goes in search of a new headlight. He stops along the way to pick up his friends: snack-obsessed Rabbit, nervous Mouse, and junk-loving Donkey, who leads the way to Elephant's Old Junk Tree, where they hope to find a replacement light. The miniature friends, who vary in size only slightly, zoom around tree branches, thorny tunnels, and rickety bridges made of twigs. The delightfully detailed pen, ink and gouache illustrations depict the inside of each animal's elaborate tree trunk home, rendered in muted earth tones. Light brings his gift for intricate drawings to this diminutive forest setting, which will delight young readers who take pleasure in examining each spread. The story, while simple, will appeal to young readers who will enjoy getting transported to a friendly miniature community reminiscent of Richard Scarry's animal worlds. With cadence, repetition, and slightly elevated language, this has all the trappings of a beginning reader, without the chapter breakdowns. Intricate maps detailing the Whisker's Hollow Community on the endpapers suggest more stories from this charming animal village are to come. VERDICT A near-perfect story that invites children to look at the pages and make connections.—Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood P.L., MA - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.