Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 11/01/2025 Everyone knows that gators wear waders and the dogs love clogs, but what kind of footwear does a hippopotamus prefer? Readers are invited to wander a bustling town filled with bipedal animals decked out in fanciful clothing and outrageous shoes of every imaginable variety. There are some delightfully obvious footwear choices (donkeys wear mules, cats enjoy kitten heels), but espadrilles for elephants are more whimsical, while a dolphin with flipper flip-flops just feels right. All of the animals eventually amass at hippo’s house for a party, and the unexpected answer to the titular question is finally revealed, though the final page sets up a new shoe mystery to solve. The sprightly rhyming text is a delight to recite, and elevated vocabulary words will give more advanced readers something to chew on. The colorful cartoon illustrations pack in plenty of marvelous minutiae to pore over, and animal lovers and fashion fanatics will be particularly entranced. Stop by this supremely stylish city for a day of fashionable fun and sartorial inspiration. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.