Bound To Stay Bound Books, Inc.

Full Text Reviews:

Booklist - 06/01/2019 Good news, Dear Reader! Sensei, the retired High Five Champion of the World, thinks you might have the potential to become the first human high-fiver ever! But first, as he explains in lilting, jaunty verse, he needs to test your high-five power. A match against Glen, a rather large elephant, ensues: the reader smacks Glen's huge, page-filling hand. The result? Glen ends up across the room, embedded in the wall. On to the championships! After intensive training (which features increasingly creative hand smacks), the games begin. One by one, the other contestants (including an octopus, which seems like cheating) are overcome by mighty, page-crushing high fives. Glen even puts in an appearance during the semi-finals. Including the cover, the text requires 17 high fives, with a big, bright paw, ready for a good smack, as a target. The rest of the pages are filled with witty, colorful illustrations that capture the thunderous impacts. This new offering from the Dragons Love Tacos team is sure to delight audiences—and should make for lively story times. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 06/14/2019 PreS-Gr 2-The 75th Annual High Five Tournament approaches, and Sensei (a large Yeti-like creature) is looking for a new student to train for the competition. There's much to practice and more to learn, from stretching to education on various high five methods. When the big day arrives, one competitor after another takes on, and is defeated by, the kid, until the final round against Octopus Jones. After an amazing eight-handed high five, the kid emerges victorious, taking home the High Five Tournament trophy. An interesting concept will elicit giggles and enthusiasm from readers, and neon colored pencil illustrations, reminiscent of 80s spandex suits, fill pages with vibrancy and energy. The text itself holds the story back—inconsistent or forced rhyme and uneven flow make this a difficult read-aloud, and the book's length will likely lose readers' interest before the final pages. This humorous play on a silly competition with sports-movie-montage storytelling is a witty idea, but doesn't quite deliver. VERDICT An additional purchase for collections short on picture books for older readers.-Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, St. Paul Public Library - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.