Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 12/01/2015 Toddler-PreS—An alphabetical romp that tells what happens when Dog accidentally rolls his ball into Mouse's house. Dog is irritated about the missing ball and winds up chasing Mouse out of his den and all through the house. The story resolves with Mouse wrapping the ball up and giving it to Dog. Dog unwraps it, thinks it's very cool, wags his tail, sends "XOXO," and finally says yes. Then the two of them happily take a nap together: Zzzzz. Twohy's fast-paced book is spare, with simple line illustrations, few colors, and one or two words per page. Felt-tip pens and India ink were used to create these illustrations, and the lines Twohy uses in his drawings convey Dog's curiosity and Mouse's panic to escape, as well as the energetic antics of the story. This book will work nicely as a one-on-one read but will also be a good pick for toddler storytimes. VERDICT A general purchase for early childhood collections.—Liz Anderson, DC Public Library - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 04/01/2016 A mouse is “Asleep” in a recliner within the walls of a human house, when a “Ball” comes flying into his abode, and the ball-into-stomach impact forces him to “Catch” it. The ball belongs to a “Dog” who puts his “Eye” up to the mouse hole and plunges in his “Feet” to retrieve the ball, while growling “Grrrr.” With a “Help!” the mouse is on the run, and a chase ensues through both the human house and the remainder of the alphabet. Somewhere between T and Y, though, the two forge a tentative friendship and settle down for a snooze with a concluding “Zzzzz.” A few of the words are shoehorned into the formula (e.g., “Very cool” for letter V), but overall this is an amicable abecedary romp. The initial letter of each word or phrase is printed in a vivid color, which contrasts with the black type of the remaining letters, and the large font ensures that the words will easily be seen across the room. The text words are, for the most part, easily decodable, expanding the usefulness to the easy-reader crowd as well. The cartoonish India ink and felt-tip pen illustrations are effective in conveying the story beyond the minimal text; animated lines and streaks transmit the urgency of the pair’s motion, while plentiful white space allows the large words and the two emotive animals to take center stage. Primary-grade classrooms and libraries will find plenty of curricular use for this, and kids will enjoy the lively story and opportunities for full-voice exclamation. JH - Copyright 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.