Bound To Stay Bound

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Booklist - 04/15/2015 Templeton just wants his family to leave him alone. They are always on his case to take a bath, clean up his mess, and share his toys with his little brothers. So Templeton orders a magic diamond that grants wishes, and he requests that his family disappear. Free to go unwashed, eat Sugar Snax on the couch, write on the walls, and have his toys all to himself, he is ecstatic until bedtime. The increasingly smelly and forlorn youngster becomes so lonesome that he wishes things back to the way they were before. A grouchy Mom says, “You need a bath!” while a cranky Dad whispers, “Clean up this mess!” and his brothers take all his favorite toys. A happy Templeton snuggles in bed, comforted by the return to normalcy. Pizzoli’s wide-eyed and appealing orange cats are an expressive bunch. Templeton himself conveys intense emotion with a few simple lines and very bright colors, as his tale reflects the endearing aspects of a small child’s struggles to behave. - Copyright 2015 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 05/01/2015 PreS-Gr 2—In this riff on the "Be careful what you wish for" adage, Templeton, a neon orange kitten, is fed up with his parents for constantly telling him to clean up and wash up and annoyed by his little brothers, who always take his toys. When he sees an ad for a magic wish-granting diamond, he robs his brother's piggy bank to fund his purchase. Once on his own, Templeton, like any other youngster, goes wild. He promptly draws all over the walls and stops bathing. His enjoyment of this new freedom is short-lived, however, as being by himself makes him lonely and quite dirty. He wishes that his family were back, and he no longer resents their demands and impositions upon their return. The retro-style cartoonish illustrations are reminiscent of Ed Emberley's work, with their bold greens, oranges, and teals, and their tongue-in-cheek humor complements Pizzoli's spare prose. VERDICT A fun and relatable story that teaches kids an important lesson without being overtly moralizing, this book will find a place in most collections.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2015 Young cat Templeton has had it with his family: his mom is grumpy, his dad is cranky, and his little brothers frequently help themselves to his best toys. When he sees a magazine ad for a wish-granting magic diamond, he quickly sends away for it (using his little brother’s piggy-bank money). With the diamond in hand, Templeton wishes his family away and revels in his newfound freedom and autonomy. Being alone soon wears thin, though, and Templeton decides to wish for his family’s return. A joyous reunion ensues, and Templeton happily returns to a life of taking baths, cleaning up, and sharing toys-but he hangs on to that diamond, just in case. While the plot isn’t particularly original, there is definite pleasure to be had in the wish-fulfillment fantasy of a life sans nagging grownups and annoying younger sibs, and the return of Templeton’s family provides satisfying security to the tale as well. The straightforward clarity of Pizzoli’s simply told narrative (“Templeton played. Templeton sang. Templeton lounged”) is matched by the crisp illustrations and the clean, retro styling of the art and the sans serif font. Pizzoli effectively employs a palette of tangerine, lime, aqua, charcoal, and white, giving the art an attractive of-the-moment retro feel. Use this solid little story in a family- or wish-themed story hour, or partner it with other titles by Pizzoli (The Watermelon Seed, BCCB 6/13, etc.) for an enjoyable author/illustrator study. JH - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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