Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/01/2020 PreS-K—A well-loved Mother Goose rhyme gets some modern updates by award-winning author McClintock (Emma and Julia Love Ballet). The story is told in a playful melding of picture book formatting (large, colorful illustrations with bold text) coupled with voice balloons, giving it a comic book vibe. Most of the nursery rhyme's original text is preserved, but now we get to hear the dialogue among the three naughty kittens and their long-suffering mother. When the little imps find their lost mittens, they joyfully cry out: "Watch out, pie! Here we come!" Later on they must interrupt their mother chatting on her cell phone to confess that they've now soiled said mittens. Note that McClintock's version has a much happier ending than the original, in which the mother smells "a rat close by." In this iteration, mother smells a mouse (who the reader has spied throughout the book) who is quickly asked to join the pie feast and is even invited to stay after and play. VERDICT A fun, energetic read that will make new Mother Goose fans of little ones. Recommended for purchase.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/01/2020 Inspired by the nursery rhyme, McClintock’s latest book is big, bold, and brimming with mischievous fun. In the updated setting, the mother cat wears an apron and carries a cellphone. The plot is more or less familiar: Having lost their mittens, the three little kittens must forgo their mother’s pie. After finding their mittens, they put them on to eat the pie. Disaster! Having soiled their mittens, they wash them at the kitchen sink, which overflows onto the floor. By mopping the floor and hanging their mittens up to dry, they earn their mother’s praise. Then Mama smells a mouse—and serves another round of pie to her kittens, herself, and the happy little mouse. Lines from the traditional rhyme usually appear as text. Occasionally they’re included in speech bubbles, which also carry comments from the characters, including childlike remarks from the kittens. Strong line drawings define the characters in the sunny pencil, watercolor, and gouache illustrations. One look at the rambunctious trio on the jacket will draw kids to this inventive, rewarding picture book. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.