Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2023 This jubilant rhyming picture book expands the famous nursery rhyme into a celebration of resilience and teamwork. Itsy Bitsy sports a derby hat, shoes with spats, and a handy umbrella as he has his tea for one in his web strung over a garden watering can. A branch breaks off the neighboring tree, sending Itsy Bitsy and a variety of other bugs on foot and in tiny, fanciful vehicles, carrying suitcases and musical instruments, in search of new digs on the nearby waterspout. This isn’t just Itsy Bitsy’s adventure: again and again he spins out his purple silk to help the others, despite the rain washing them all out. The illustrations, done in Light's always wonderful ink and watercolor, are framed like a microscope pointed at the comic escape route. By tale’s end, Itsy Bitsy has helped rescue the endangered, and he hosts a tea party for his new friends. The final dedication is “for those who have been ‘washed out’ and had the courage to climb up again.” Fun and inspiring. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.