Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 09/01/2015 PreS-Gr 1—City Kitty Cat, urban cabdriver extraordinaire, revels in the sights and sounds of the city. He'll drive anyone anywhere, ready to tout the marvels of his home town. Picking up a group of tourists one day—visitors from the jungle—City Kitty notes their forlorn expressions. They explain that while they've taken in and enjoyed all that they wanted to see and do in the city, they're homesick and want to return to the wild. City Kitty gladly obliges with a ride to the airport—and promptly accepts his new friends' invitation to go with them. The tables are now turned: City Kitty savors lots of experiences previously unknown to him—that is, until the day comes when he, too, realizes he misses home, and back he goes to the city and his cab. The "there's-no-place-like-home" theme isn't particularly new, and this take isn't particularly fresh. The story, told in inconsistent rhyme schemes, is bouncy enough, but the clunky rhythms can slow the reading down. City Kitty Cat is a likable character whom readers will understand and root for (no matter where they live), and the colorful retro illustrations are lively and bustling with energy, movement, and verve. VERDICT This additional purchase could be useful in units comparing and contrasting urban and nonurban environments and also in discussions about traveling to unfamiliar places.—Carol Goldman, Queens Library, NY - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.