Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2025 Shibu is a topiary of a cat, its fluffy black fur roundly sculpted. Attached to his bean-like body is a luxurious tail, which Shibu uses to express his many emotions. His is a tail that hugs in happiness, poofs in anger, and hides his eyes in fright, but his propensity for wearing his heart on his, er, tail is garnering what feels like negative attention from his more reserved feline pals. Feeling self-conscious, Shibu tries to quiet his tail and keep his feelings to himself, but all that uncomfortable bottling up of emotions eventually bubbles over into the realization that Shibu is happiest when sharing his joys, troubles, and everything in between. This darling SEL offering on self-expression lets children know that fully experiencing and communicating their feelings is a positive thing. At times, the text may be advanced for the book’s audience, but the simplicity of the cat-tail concept easily gets its message across. Fong’s fine-line artwork will make every reader fall in love with little Shibu, who appears pettably soft and whose tail is capable of wonders. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.