Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 06/01/2018 Bully the bullfrog lives in a lovely lily pond, which he is unwilling to share with anyone else. To that end, he orders a series of insects off the pond: a snail who wants to taste the lilies; a dragonfly who wants to smell them; and a bee who wants to tickle them. Blissfully alone, Bully piles petals into a bed until one lily remains. The text and the watercolor illustrations combine to conjure up the sensory beauty of the pond and its delicate ecosystem, as well as Bully’s destructive behavior. The climax comes when the banished bugs return en masse in a wonderful two-page spread, where they chase off a very worried-looking Bully. With the insects’ return, the pond revives, and Bully must get used to muddy new digs away from friends and flowers. “A Note about Kindness” at the book’s end emphasizes that practicing kindness is easy and offers tips for spreading it around. Comical and inspiring. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 07/01/2018 PreS-Gr 1—Life is pretty good for a bullfrog named Bully. He lives in a beautiful pond that is filled with fragrant water lilies. Some of the insects living in the pond find the taste of the flowers simply delicious and others enjoy their magnificent scent. Unfortunately, Bully wants the lilies all for himself. Nothing can sway his attitude—no matter how hard the others try to plead their case. He has no problem telling the snails and dragonflies to leave the lilies alone and then kicks them out of the pond. Once the insects and creatures have left, selfish Bully begins to eat as many lilies as he wants. He makes himself a lily crown and uses the precious flowers as a mattress. He is such a glutton that in the end there is only one lily left. The former inhabitants of the pond must do something to make things better—and they do. This story is a great way to emphasize many important messages to young children. One essential lesson is a little kindness can go a long way. The illustrations in this book are captivating. Bully is definitely large and in charge of the pond. His physical size dominates the page. Even though he is selfish, some of Bully's antics and expressions are entertaining. The text is minimal but the pictures speak volumes. VERDICT A good read-aloud choice to reinforce lessons about kindness, perfect for one-on-one or group sharing.—Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.