Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/15/2016 Cast with characters from Breathed’s comic series, this picture book features Bill the cat, adopted from an animal shelter by Michael Binkley but quickly whisked away to an “unknown destination.” Binkley, though pining for his cat, gets on with his life, while Bill ricochets from one precarious adventure to another—serving as a North Pole sled cat, an elephant herder, and a revered deity before finally being kidnapped by aliens. Eventually, Bill is rescued by “a dark, mysterious stranger” (Opus the penguin) who embarks on an epic journey to return Bill to Binkley, and all ends as it should. While the story is amusing and can be enjoyed by many, it is, at times, over the top. Some references—such as a lengthy description of Opus and Bill’s journey back to Binkley—will mystify younger audiences. The illustrations, a mixture of cartoons, eye-popping virtual paintings, and pencil sketches, will pull inquisitive audiences of all ages into the story despite the more sophisticated text. For those who like oddly unique picture books. - Copyright 2016 Booklist.