Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 05/01/2018 K-Gr 2—This bedtime story comes to life comically through dialogue between what readers might assume to be an unseen parent and child. Using two distinct font styles and imaginative illustrations, the exchange begins with an adult voice, "Once upon a time, there was a Big Bunny," while a curious, scary-story-seeking child interjects questions onto the story line. Instead of stifling the child's inquisitiveness, the adult attempts to make the story exciting by describing the bunny eating hundreds of carrots, adding trucks (and truckloads of carrots), bridges, and more—but as the narrative begins to bore the child, the adult proclaims, "Fine…you tell it." In the child's version, Big Bunny quickly begins eating up the story's trucks, the bridge, and buildings, but then, in a near final page turn, readers realizes that the parent and child telling this story are actually heads of lettuce. Watkins's muted illustrations, in watercolor and pencil, are both helpful and playful; they inventively express the creative mayhem of a little lettuce's imagination. VERDICT This clever story within a story will perplex and intrigue young readers. With "ginormous" read-aloud appeal, this title is highly recommended for picture book collections.—Brianne Colombo, Fairfield Free Public Library, NJ - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/15/2018 Watkins’ reliable absurdity is on display again in this latest picture book, which features a pair of narrators arguing over a scary story. It’s centered around Big Bunny, but the narrators can’t agree on how big that bunny really is, where he lives, or what he eats. As the story gets wilder (“Does Big Bunny EAT the trucks?”), the soft, cartoonish illustrations mutate to reflect the change. On the first spread, Big Bunny doesn’t even fit on the page; on the next, he dwarfs the sun! When the discussion turns to carrots, Big Bunny can sometimes fit many carrots in one paw, while on another spread, he barely makes a dent in a gigantic carrot many times bigger than he is. The ping-ponging changes in relative size are comical enough on their own, but as the story spirals into even sillier territory, little ones will likely be rolling in the aisles. And for anyone wondering why a big bunny would be so scary, the final pages reveal the hilarious truth (though, no spoilers here). - Copyright 2018 Booklist.