Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 05/01/2014 In “The Cake,” the first of two stories about squirrel buddies Bruno and Lulu, the friends ask a group of crabby cats at the park if the kitties will share their cupcakes. The cats refuse, so Lulu, who loves pretend play, makes a “cake” from sand: “Help me mix.” Bruno, however, is a realist: “We cannot eat this.” Lulu, still pretending, replies, “I know. It is not ready,” to which Bruno dryly responds, “. . . even when it is ready.” An enthusiastic tossing of some pebbles inadvertently sends the cats scattering, and Bruno and Lulu happily (if unethically) eat the left-behind cupcakes. In “Time-Out,” Lulu is stuck in time-out on a park bench and can’t play. Bruno joins her to wait it out, and the two pretend that the bench is a swing and a slide before seguing into a game of “Guess What I Am,” at which point Bruno tires of pretend play and asks Lulu’s mom for release. She assents, and guess where Lulu wants to play? The bench. Brief sentences, simple vocabulary, and repetition of words and phrases (in a text that appears entirely in dialogue) lend support to kids ready for something a bit longer than Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series; Lulu’s and Bruno’s dialogue bubbles also alternate colors, helping readers easily distinguish who is speaking. Lakin writes skillfully for this audience, injecting humor and clever teachable moments (“‘How do you like that?’” “‘Not one bit.’” “‘Not one bite, either’”) into her accessible text. Edmunds’ plentiful digitally created art is cartoonishly fun, if occasionally a bit busy, and orangey Bruno, sporting blue spectacles, and tan Lulu, with her polka-dot hair bow, are a lively pair. Besides its obvious use as a first-class beginning reader, this might also make an entertaining readers theater performance piece. JH - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 04/15/2014 Bright-eyed squirrel Bruno and chipmunk Lulu share a day at the playground. An introduction reveals their differences, while other chapters show how they tolerate each other’s preferences (Lulu likes mental games; Bruno likes action). They are bound together by a strong friendship that allows Lulu to go fast on Bruno’s scooter and helps Bruno play Lulu’s endless guessing and pretending games. In chapter one, when the selfish cats won’t share their cake, Lulu makes a pretend cake using ingredients from the sand box. Though less imaginative, Bruno surprises Lulu with a real cake (with help from the ladybugs). Lulu is in time-out in chapter two. True-friend Bruno finds pretend games they can play. The colorful illustrations show action and the fast-moving exploits of the characters. Speech bubbles of different colors delineate the dialogue, making it useful for those who’d like to put on a mini-play. Expect to see more adventures about this duo for emergent readers. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 05/01/2014 K-Gr 3—This simple, pictorial chapter book might capture the interest of newly proficient or reluctant readers. It features two friends who banter and bop around in a park. Bruno the squirrel "loves to go, go, go" and Lulu the chipmunk likes to pretend. Two rather lengthy, dialogue-driven stories about the pair are delivered in a bubbly, color-coded text-box style, which mimics text messages. In "Cake," the characters outwit a group of mean cats and take their picnic cakes even though they don't belong to them. The question of right and wrong is not presumed or even addressed. A slightly disjointed story line continues in "Time-Out." Lulu is in time-out on a park bench and cannot remember why or how long she is supposed to stay there. As in the first chapter, again a resourceful male, Bruno, saves the day for the dreamy and ditsy Lulu when he rides away on his motorbike and comes back with the news that Lulu's time-out is over. "How do you know?" she wonders. "I asked," is Bruno's simple reply. Edmunds's digital cartoons are bright and energetic and provide plenty of sight clues to reinforce the action. However, a slick and modern package can't rescue the pedestrian storytelling.—Ellie Lease, Harford County Public Library, MD - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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