Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/15/2020 Two competitive rabbit neighbors—one tan, the other purple—are both expert gardeners, though their horticultural techniques vary. When an enormous carrot springs up straddling their properties, both rush to claim credit and harvest the behemoth. They manage to dislodge the top, only to discover that most of the root is missing. They join forces on a trip through underground tunnels to solve the mystery: a mole is preparing carrot soup, which he happily shares. Na (Bird, Balloon, Bear, 2017) adds to his oeuvre with this simple tale demonstrating the value of cooperation and sharing. Although formatted as a picture book, the whimsical art makes good use of graphic conventions, including panels, color-coded speech, and unusual perspectives. Na's color palette emphasizes secondary colors (orange, green, purple), and generous white space focuses attention on the story's action. The characters are carefully delineated (the spectacled rabbit practices scientific gardening, while his purple neighbor plays the saxophone); facial expressions and body postures convey their ever-changing emotions. Luckily, détente rules, including a plan for turnips next season. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2020 PreS-Gr 2—In a tale of a classic neighborly feud, Na introduces two gardening rabbits with differing philosophies on growing carrots. The bespectacled yellow rabbit uses scientific methods while the bow-tied purple rabbit plays music to its plants. When the two discover and dig up a giant carrot straddling their plots of land, they bury their differences and encounter an adorable tunneling creature who has beaten them to the feast. Luckily, this experience teaches them to work together, and they vow to try a new crop—turnips! Na's latest offering is exquisite all around. His illustrations are clever and fun, simple and clean, yet multifaceted and layered. Each green carrot top is delightfully wriggly and unique, and the texture of the carrot skin is spot-on. The animals are adorably anthropomorphized and have clear personality. The perspective and layout shift from page to page. A spread of wordless panels shows the rabbits watching the giant carrot grow. Vertical spreads, mirroring the endpapers, feature a cross-section of the dug-out underground maze as the creatures look for the hungry culprit. Na uses language carefully, showing more than telling; the majority of the text is short thoughts and statements from either side of the fence. VERDICT Another beautiful and highly readable book by Na. A first purchase for all picture book collections.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public Library, MA - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/15/2020 - Copyright 2020 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2020 - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.