Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 11/15/2013 Paul the goldfish lives in a world circumscribed by his small, round bowl. He can swim to the left, to the right, up, then down. And repeat. But when another fish, Bernadette, drops in (literally), she introduces Paul to the realm beyond the curved glass. “What do you think that is?” she asks, looking at bananas on a nearby plate. When Paul doesn’t know, she informs him that it’s a boat. She also identifies a clock as a cactus, a teapot as an elephant, and so on. His bowl may still be small, but Paul is happy to share it with Bernadette, who makes his world so much larger and more intriguing. The simply written story works well with the vibrant oil paintings. The well-defined painterly brushstrokes add another dimension of texture, direction, and motion to the scenes. Young children will enjoy correcting Bernadette’s misidentifications and creating their own as they engage with this imaginative picture book. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 01/01/2014 PreS-Gr 2—Paul, a solitary goldfish, spends his days swimming in circles. His life is uneventful until another fish, Bernadette, drops into his bowl. Not content to simply go round and round, she encourages Paul to take a look at the world outside their watery home. She shows him ordinary household items, which when viewed through the curved glass bowl and through the power of her imagination, become transformed. A bunch of bananas turn into a yellow boat and a vase of flowers is an enchanting forest. Some of Bernadette's creative interpretations will make young readers giggle, especially when a blue teapot becomes an elephant and two fried eggs are the sun and the moon. As he eagerly examines the fascinating world outside, Paul becomes equally captivated with his new friend. The whimsical story is accompanied by striking oil paintings. The two fish are portrayed in fluid orange and gold brushstrokes, while the bowl is a luminous sphere reflecting different colors from page to page. One of the final spreads depicts a homey breakfast table holding all of the everyday objects bestowed with magical qualities through the eyes of the fanciful goldfish. Pair this story with Devin Scillian's Memoirs of a Goldfish (Sleeping Bear, 2010).—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.