Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 12/01/2014 PreS-Gr 2—How exactly does one deliver an elephant to a dear aunt "who lives almost completely alone and could really use the company"? Spunky young Sadie plans to send the pachyderm through the mail, but the wheelbarrow full of stamps required for the transaction makes her realize she needs another game plan. Undaunted, Sadie and the elephant travel by biplane, train, alligator and ice-cream truck to get to Great-Aunt Josephine, who as it turns out, doesn't really live almost completely alone thanks to Sadie. Watercolor and ink illustrations have a scratchy cartoonish quality reminiscent of James Stevenson that infuses the story with energy. From the "uh, oh" speech bubble hovering over the sputtering plane as Sadie realizes she's running out of gas to a train full of monkey bandits chowing down on bananas and canned beans, these two-page spreads are a comic delight, resulting in an engaging blend of perfectly paced adventure and visual humor. Add in a liberal use of exaggerated sound effects, and the outcome is a read-aloud winner sure to deliver laughs to young readers.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/01/2015 Shipping a live elephant to a lonely aunt is no easy task. The postman says Sadie will need a wheelbarrow of stamps; the pilot says she will need more fuel for the plane. Undaunted, Sadie cruises off in the two-seater biplane, with the elephant in the rumble seat. Crashing in the river, her transport switches to a towing alligator, and then a passing train commandeered by bandito monkeys in full regalia. Egad! Can the ice cream truck get them there? Elephant’s alarmed expression changes from confusion to bedraggled despair, as each new crisis causes terror and dismay in the patient pachyderm. When they arrive at their destination, Sadie’s Great-Aunt Josephine greets the pair with glee, inviting them to join the rest of her menagerie: a giraffe, a mouse, a lion, a gorilla, a horse, a bat, a camel, a snake, and so on. The lively illustrations incorporate humorous line drawings reminiscent of Quentin Blake: colorful, expressive, detailed, and quirky. The creative text style is sometimes presented in sputtering smoke, chugging steam, or bold caps. Hot chocolate for all! - Copyright 2015 Booklist.