Bound To Stay Bound

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Full Text Reviews:

Bulletin for the Center... - 12/01/2008 Audiences may remember Watt’s obstreperous cat Chester from Chester (BCCB 11/07), wherein he took control of the book and turned it into a self-appreciation; now Watt’s trying to write a new story, but Chester’s horning in again. Watt’s story would put Chester “in a faraway land” with a fantasy castle and relevant trappings, but Chester wants to be a famous Cave Cat (“He invented the wheel!”). When differences become irreconcilable, Watt hires a substitute Chester (a perky pig in a Chester suit), but Chester vandalizes that approach as well; finally Watts mollifies Chester by giving him the glamorous and glorifying story he wants—or so he initially thinks. The book manages to recapture the charm of the first outing without simply duplicating its idea; a good portion of the fun here is the determined author’s series of Chester-beating tactics and their somewhat mixed results. Chester’s audacity has expanded in this volume to include peritext from flap copy to copyright page, and his gleeful inclusion of faked fan letters from Shakespeare and Einstein enjoyably ramps up the absurdity quotient. The illustrations could be divided into the stage set (Watt’s ostensibly intended book, simply and sturdily drawn and a touch bland) and the drama itself (Chester’s antics and his screaming red digital additions to text and visuals); pages are well balanced, managing to suggest a descent into chaos while still offering focus and direction, and clearly differentiating between Watt’s narrative and Chester’s contributions. Youngsters don’t need to know the first book to grasp the delicious extent of Chester’s narcissism here, so both tyros and Chester fans can revel in the literary war even as they secretly identify with Chester’s excessive self-confidence. DS - Copyright 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 09/01/2008 K-Gr 2-The big calico cat with an even bigger ego is back. Watt attempts to feature him in a fairy tale, but as readers of Chester (Kids Can, 2007) will anticipate, he is not interested. He whips out his red marker and makes the story his own-until Watt decides to replace him altogether. The author holds a casting call and tries to carry on with a replacement for Chester. Of course, the feisty feline will not let that happen, and for a moment readers may think that he has come out on top. Chester wants to be the star of the story, but as the saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for!" The little gray mouse that was featured in the original book also returns. Chester has a great range of expressions that work along with the red-marker text to develop a lovable character. The use of color and font to indicate the speakers and the mix of various illustration styles add definition to the story-within-the-story, and the pages are full of activity. Readers will discover new details with each viewing. This is an original and fun tale for sharing one-on-one and in small groups.-Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2008 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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