Bound To Stay Bound

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School Library Journal - 04/01/2014 PreS-Gr 2—A little yellow bird dozing on a comfortable perch in the swamp is disturbed in succession by a heron, a frog, and then a turtle, who all wish to share his spot. With each animal's arrival, the bird's response to the polite "pardon me" offered gets testier and testier ("Well, I suppose I can't stop you." and "It's crowded already, don't you think?"). Despite the bird's lack of graciousness, the four share the perch until a fox shows up on a nearby log. His "pardon me" is the last straw for the bird, who exclaims, "Well, pardon me, but this is my perch and I don't care what you have to say!" After his outburst, the heron, frog, turtle, and even the fox leave him alone. Dozing off once again the little bird is alerted to something amiss only when his perch moves. The surprise ending, for both the story and the bird, is extremely satisfying, and the last "pardon me" will have readers laughing out loud. The full-page, digitally rendered, mixed-media illustrations are richly colored and work beautifully with the spare text to tell and enhance the story. The little bird's expressions, ranging from contentment to alarm, are subtle and entertaining. A fabulous choice for storytime; pair it with Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick, 2011 ) for surefire laughs and cries to "read it again, please."—Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2014 The peace and quiet of solitude on his tiny island is what our parroty little protagonist enjoys, but the tranquility is soon shattered when a chatty stork lands alongside him with a cheery “Pardon me.” Then a leaping frog, followed by a swimming turtle, settle themselves onto the increasingly crowded island with a “Pardon me” apiece as well. When a nearby fox starts a sentence with “Pardon me,” the little bird loses it in a tantrum that sends his island mates scurrying away. Unfortunately, the fox was trying to impart valuable information: the little bird’s island is actually a crocodile, and when the croc surfaces, the little bird abruptly disappears and the reptile gives a satisfied summative burp, followed by a genteel if smirking “Pardon me.” The bird’s fate seems a little extreme as a punishment, but it sure is funny, and the all-dialogue text is a natural for performance as well as reading aloud. Miyares’ luminous digital illustrations set the scene in sweeping double-page spreads of cobalt sky and delicate green rushes, while the kinetic, brush-swept animal figures have an intriguing combination of fine texturing, translucent details, and saturated tones; their big eyes and extravagant gestures neatly suit the humor of the tale. In addition to its performative possibilities, this could make a lively companion to other stories that end with surprise mealtimes, such as Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back (BCCB 11/11). DS - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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