Bound To Stay Bound

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Booklist - 01/01/2012 *Starred Review* Penny, a little mouse girl, has a song in her heart. Well, it’s not just in her heart, because as soon as she comes home from school, she wants to belt it out loud: “One is nice, two is nice.” But Mama and Papa are concerned that Penny’s song will wake up the babies. She tries singing to herself and to her glass animals, but what fun is that? Penny gives her song a go at dinner; her parents insist it will have to wait. Finally, in front of her folks and the twins, Penny gets to sing about one and two being nice (“three is even better”); four and five are also nice (“six in rain is wetter”). Seven and eight: nice as well. Nine? “Almost best. But ten is even bigger, and is better than the rest.” So much praise is heaped on Penny that she sings the song again. And here is where Henkes has his finger on the pulse of families: on the next go-around the whole family joins in, which provokes Mama and Papa to put on costumes and dance. Finally, everyone is exhausted, and the singing has put the babies to sleep. The text, with its frustrations and joys, is perfect for new readers, and Henkes’ familiar artwork has its share of warm moments. This early reader captures the way families make memories at unexpected moments. Welcome Penny to the cast. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Any new book by Caldecott-winning Henkes is cause for anticipation, and this one even more so as it marks the first time he has written for beginning readers. - Copyright 2012 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 03/01/2012 K-Gr 2—In this mild, two-chapter tale for beginning readers, Henkes once again touches on the challenges of being an older sibling. Penny is a young mouse bursting to sing a song to her parents that she has just learned at school. But disappointingly, every time she begins to sing, her parents ask her to stop. "'Your song is beautiful,' said Mama, 'but you will wake up the babies." Singing to herself in the mirror or to her glass animals just isn't the same, so Penny tries again at dinner. "'Not at the table,' said Mama. 'After dinner,' said Papa." Finally, before bed, Penny gets her chance to perform. The whole family joins in and soon discovers that the youngster's song has helped lull the babies to sleep. The narrative here is light on drama and character growth. Penny is neither as charismatic nor immediately lovable as some of Henkes's other, well-known protagonists. However, families seeking easy vocabulary and an old-fashioned story with positive, sass-free family interactions will appreciate this gentle read. Pastel-hued watercolor and ink illustrations of Penny and her smiling mouse family (done in classic Henkes style) brighten each otherwise clean, white page. Fans of the author who have graduated to independent-reader status will be glad to see his familiar hand at work on the easy-reader shelves.—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 04/01/2012 When the irrepressible Penny arrives home from school, she cannot wait to share the song that she made up. Upon arriving, however, she is silenced by both her mother and her father for fear that she will wake the babies. Penny tries desperately to distract herself from the circumstances until dinnertime, where she tries once again to sing her ditty. “‘Not at the table,’ said Mama. ‘After dinner,’ said Papa.” Finally, after dinner is done, Penny sings her song for her family. They like it so much that they ask her to sing it again, then join her in singing and, on a fourth round, put on silly costumes while belting the tune. In the end, it turns out that Penny’s song helped the babies to fall asleep, as they have both dozed off in their basket. Penny’s overt enthusiasm and boundless determination put her in the same league as Henkes’ famous Lilly, and readers familiar with his other mouse tales will welcome this fresh face. Penny’s story, however, is formatted as an easy reader, and that’s its weakness: the all-important chapter divisions don’t correlate with logical pauses in the story, leaving the tale awkwardly paced, and while the plot is sweet, it’s not very substantial. Henkes’ signature line and watercolor illustrations employ pastel shades of pink, yellow, and blue, and little spring-toned musical notes are sprinkled throughout the musical sequences. Despite the title’s deficits, Penny’s jubilant approach to life is somewhat contagious, and many a young reader will identify with her efforts to contain her inner feelings of joy when all she wants to do is sing out loud. HM - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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