Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 05/26/2025 At first glance, cartoonist Diffee’s children’s book debut appears to be a slightly dusty farmyard tale featuring oversize serif typography, elegant wax and colored pencil illustrations in burnished hues, and predictable animals making familiar sounds ("The cow says, ‘Moo.’ The horse says, ‘Neigh.’ "). But when a goat pauses after the sheep’s "baa," noting that the two share a manner of communicating, the story begins to gleefully and irreverently unravel. Pressed to come up with a noise that no one else emits, the sheep finally lands on a doozey: "Zip Zap Big Bang Flip Flap Wing Wickety Wack Walla Balla Yackety Yack Ding Dilly!" Then a tiny flying saucer appears, piloted by an extraterrestrial who begs to differ. The alien launches into a sermonette on the values of "wiffling" (also known as sharing), but the being’s platitudes quickly deflate when the animals show interest in sharing the spaceship. The alien’s selfishness makes the barnyard animals feel empathetic by comparison, and an amusing kind of logic brings humor to the book’s peaceful conclusion. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 08/01/2025 PreS-Gr 1—Diffee offers a book that will delight children and caregivers alike. Readers meet a group of farm animals who introduce themselves by the sounds they make (cow goes "moo," horse goes "neigh"). Trouble arrives when both sheep and goat want to claim "baa." Discussions of new sounds prove fruitless when the goat quickly states that it will "quack," an infuriated duck arrives on the scene. A roaming alien insists that they also make the new sound and chaos begins. The bold and clear font emphasizes the text; the animals look at one another while speaking and the tiny nuances in their expressions are ones worth searching for. VERDICT Working well as both a read-aloud and for one-to-one experiences, this purchase is for collections needing wry humor and a funny treat for all to enjoy.—Maria Graybosch - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.