Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2014 *Starred Review* There are many books about death for children, but this one, in both tone and tale, is unique. Lottie the hen phones her friend Herbie the duck when she learns that 99-year-old Aunt Mattie is very ill. Herbie gets it. You mean it’s like her motor is all worn out. On the bus ride into town, Lottie thinks about the fun the three of them have had, especially taking the motorboat out to Pudding Rock. Once in the hospital, Lottie must adjust to what’s going on as she watches her aunt breath heavily and realizes that they are spending their last moments together. Then Aunt Mattie is gone. Although Herbie fears the tunnel traffic, he has braved it to be with Lottie, and he is at her side when she says, I am so sad. Herbie reminds her, We are together. Later, at Auntie’s home, Lottie finds a letter from her that helps a little, and later Lottie and Herbie go to Pudding Rock and scatter her ashes. Both funny and wise, this covers the many moments that make up a death: the memories, the sadness, and the solace. Mathers’ small, squared watercolor art is simple yet touched with whimsy (in one scene, Aunt Mattie gets ready for takeoff with friends greeting her at a plane), while the text knowingly captures the feelings of the bereaved: Maybe our hearts ache because Aunt Mattie is moving in. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 07/01/2014 K-Gr 2—In her latest installment in the "Lottie" picture book series, featuring the likable chicken and her fine-feathered friends, Mathers explores death with a gentle, yet matter-of-fact, straightforwardness. Lottie's Aunt Mattie is ninety-nine years old and, as best friend Herbie explains, "her motor is all worn out." Lottie travels to the hospital to visit her aunt, for what "may be the last time," along the way reminiscing about fond times spent together. When Lottie finally arrives at Aunt Mattie's bedside, Mathers does not shy away from the gravity of the situation. Lottie is shown holding her aunt's hand, a tear falling from her eye. Aunt Mattie talks about a group waiting for her at the gate; she imagines a cadre of birdie friends next to a commercial airplane ("Out of This World Airlines"), waving and greeting her as she ascends. Soon after, Aunt Mattie dies and Lottie and Herbie must wait for her ashes and deal with their grief. Mather's simple watercolors, constrained within boxed frames on most pages, serve to focus the emotional impact of the sad events, without overwhelming readers. Text that includes terms such as "dead," "funeral home," and "cremated" offer a refreshingly factual and specific depiction of death and dying. While Lottie and Herbie experience the heartache of losing a loved one, they comfort each other and find strength in remembering Aunt Mattie and continuing her tradition of picnicking on Pudding Rock while eating Mattie's signature sandwich: peanut butter and jelly with bananas. A wonderful addition to collections on death and grief for children.—–Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.