Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2017 PreS-K—Alice and her younger brother, Jack, follow the strains of an odd melody into the woods near their home, overcoming their fears and discovering ordinary magic in the process. While playing catch, they overhear an eerie tune that seems garbled by the breeze and distance. Knapman's text adheres to a pattern, which makes this ideal for sharing aloud. Jack inquires about the noise they hear, concerned it is the "Wicked Wolf," and Alice calms him, stating, "Shhh, Everything is going to be all right." They move further into the dark woods, with Jack repeating his questions and adding more to his Wicked Wolf each time until the beast has "big bad claws" and "snap-trap jaws." Alice encourages them both to be brave until they are right upon the source of the strange sounds. Panicked, she turns to flee, but Jack stands fast, for he sees their terrors are for naught. The Wicked Wolf is really a she-wolf "singing her babies to sleep." A spread reveals the beautiful wolf and her three cubs in the forefront while the two children peer in wonder from the trees behind her. Oxenbury's pencil and watercolor illustrations are soft and lovely, depicting nature in its uncomplicated joy. Now, as fear is blown away, the lullaby's words are clear to the children, and it's Jack's turn to tell Alice that "everything is all right." VERDICT This gentle, quiet read is an excellent addition to most picture book collections.—Rachel Zuffa, Racine Public Library, WI - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/15/2017 Alice and her younger brother Jack hear noises coming from the forest. And though Jack worries it might be the Wicked Wolf, Alice reassures him as they wander deeper. The text features the oddly musical sounds that lure them (“Offtis or eeef edd un gentil daa breez”), while facing pages show the almost angelic-looking pair of siblings surrounded by thick trees and lacy greenery that becomes darker as their sojourn progresses. Jack’s anxiety start peaking again as he worries about the wolf’s deadly claws and jaws. Alice implores her brother to be brave, until they discover the source of the sounds is, in fact, “big bad claws . . . snap-trap jaws . . . THE WICKED WOLF!” Now Alice wants to run, but Jack detains her. The wolf is mothering her cubs, and in a cute twist, readers see she’s singing a variation of “Rock-a-Bye Baby” that’s as dear as her little ones. This flight of fancy, which ends with the children in bed, is wound with both adventure and safety as well as heaps of sweetness. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.