Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 04/01/2026 PreS-Gr 1—A black bear cub daydreams of honey. When he and his friend Bat notice some bees, Cub stacks a garbage can on a box on a toy taxi to try to steal some honey from the hive. "Bad idea!" Bat warns, but it's too late. Cub topples to the ground. Bat takes a more polite approach to honey retrieval, and Cub commits to doing better next time. While Bat largely is identical from page to page, Cub's postures and faces are expressive and humorous in the simple yet dynamic illustrations. Varied colors, shapes, and text styles in speech bubbles communicate different ways to interpret repeated words, with a focus on the letter b and short vowel sounds. The simple, fablelike tale will entertain new readers. VERDICT Another solid addition to the phonics-based "I Like to Read" series.—Rachel Owens - Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 07/01/2026 Bear and Bat spy some bees, reminding Bear of how much he loves honey. He decides to rob them, but the plan falters when Bear falls off his makeshift ladder. That’s okay, because Bat has an idea: they can just ask the bees if they can have some honey! They agree, and Bear now knows that next time he should just ask! With less than a handful of words on the page and the digestible text, this phonics books is aimed at brand-new readers. The word selection is appropriate, avoiding difficult selections, though it does include some less common words. Repetition is used to focus on short vowel sounds used throughout the story. This is a superb early reader that will leave children entertained as it reinforces reading confidence. - Copyright 2026 Booklist.