Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 08/01/1998 PreS-Gr 2--In this ode to bad and boisterous little boys, a resourceful and inventive young David wreaks havoc in every room of the house and even runs down the road nude. He reaches too far for the cookie jar, tracks in too much dirt, bangs too loudly, and creates a potato head with string-bean arms and chicken legs instead of eating his dinner. He even sticks his finger up his nose farther than anatomy would seem to allow. The text consists mostly of his mother saying, No, David, or variations thereof. Finally, a broken vase leads to banishment to a chair in the corner and a tear on the cheek, which leads to a motherly hug and the best affirmation of all-- Yes, David...I love you! The vigorous and wacky full-color acrylic paintings portray a lively and imaginative boy whose stick-figure body conveys every nuance of anger, exuberance, defiance, and, best of all, the reassurance of his mother's love. This book is perfect for reading aloud. Children will relish the deliciously bad behavior and the warm and cuddly conclusion.-Susan Pine, New York Public Library - Copyright 1998 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/1998 The text rings soooo true, comprised solely of "off stage" warnings and directives to an obstreperous toddler from his exasperated mom: "No, David, no!" "DAVID! BE QUIET!" "That's enough, David!" Each double spread gloriously realizes the breadth of havoc that can be wrought by a small guy who tracks mud across a cream-colored carpet with weeds sprouting from his encrusted feet and mushrooms springing from his hair, dive-bombs his bath toys in a overflowing tub, runs naked down the street, jams his finger up his nose (full frontal nostril alert!), and hits fungoes among Mom's delicate gewgaws. Shannon's genius lies in his ability to switch off among the little miscreant's many moods--from the shark-toothed wickedness of David beating the cooking pots, to the gleeful innocence of David sprinting bare-butted down the sidewalk, to the tear-streaked contrition of David sitting on a stool in the corner, surrounded by china shards and an errant baseball. David is just cartoonish enough to allow the audience to disavow any similarities, even though his antics may be guiltily familiar (or even inspirational--David's potato/green bean/chicken leg/fork man creation is pretty cute). If David is beyond reform, he's not beyond forgiveness, and the final spreads offer comrades-in-crime hope of reconciliation: "Davey, come here. . . . Yes, David . . . I love you!" says Mom, as he angelically nestles in her arms. - Copyright 1998 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 09/01/1998 The author-illustrator of How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball (1994) and A Bad Case of Stripes (1998), among others, aims at a younger audience with this tally of no-nos inspired by a plainly autobiographical book he created as a small child. All little David hears from his mother as he writes on the wall, runs naked down the road, lets water pour over the side of the tub, sticks his finger far, far up his nose, and the like is No, David! That's enough, David! Settle down! Although Shannon's painterly technique is sophisticated, here he artfully gives his illustrations a childlike look, depicting David as a wooden-doll-like figure with a big, round head, cavorting through a neatly kept home replete with invitingly blank walls and fragile knick-knacks. As the book ends with a parental hug and Yes, David . . . I love you! it's not completely negative, and because young listeners will know ALL the words, the temptation to chime in will be irresistible. (Reviewed September 1, 1998) - Copyright 1998 Booklist.