Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 12/01/2021 Catering both to pun lovers and the sesquipedalian crowd, Crute pairs a string of indignant animals with colorful and cleverly relevant synonyms for common words. “I’ve been HORNSWOGGLED!” bellows a deer who discovers that one antler has been replaced by a tennis racket. “What a load of CODSWALLOP!” exclaims a catfish whose eyeglasses are exchanged for donuts. Likewise, boots transformed into swim fins leave a buffalo “BUFFALOED!” while a rooster finds his written speech replaced by toilet paper (“POPPYCOCK!”) and pungent private eye Pierre Moufette is “SKUNKED!” by the theft of his thinking cap. Whodunit? Why, the sly fox, of course—but in preening over his skill at switcheroos, he ultimately finds himself (wait for it) “OUTFOXED!” by the lowly armadillo who’s been popping up in the corners of Harney’s cartoon brouhahas. The definitions aren’t always helpful (“Outwit means to outsmart”), and probably superfluous anyway since the meanings are clear enough in context. Still, the words are fun to say, and some have a rich history for readers willing to dig a little deeper. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 12/01/2021 K-Gr 3—Looking for a title to inspire young writers to add some zing to their writing? Trying to make the point that a broad vocabulary can make life more exciting, zestful, and engaging? Look no further than the mystery in the forest that is this hilarious title. Deer wakes up to find that one of his antlers has been replaced with a tennis racket. He's been hornswoggled! A helpful placard is held up to define hornswoggled and the game is afoot. One creature after another finds themselves the victim of theft (the catfish has been codswalloped, a bison has been buffaloed). Finally a clever detective with a nod to Hercule Poirot arrives only to find that he, too, has been outfoxed by the thief of the forest. Laugh-out-loud funny illustrations join with a witty text to make a mystery forest romp an engaging offering, encouraging all who read it to broaden their vocabularies. This title would make a great read-aloud for older elementary students who enjoy puns and witty wordplay. VERDICT Highly recommended this book is a delightful tribute to thesaurus use and rich vocabulary.—John Scott, Baltimore Cty. P. S. - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.