Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 08/23/2024 PreS-Gr 2—Rex wants to play with Jack and Jill and the narrator suggests a game of "Go and Get." The narrator gives the players a letter and they have to find something that starts with that letter. The first letter is F and Jack brings back a frog, Jill brings back a fish, and Rex brings back a duck. When the narrator tries to correct Rex, Rex explains, in woofs, that the duck is a friend and that does start with F. The story continues with more letters, and each time, the characters and the narrator add alliterative elements; a snake becomes a slithering snake, and the skunk is a smelly skunk. Charming artwork shows the details of these alliterative gems, but Rex steals every scene. Readers will be cheering Rex to victory. This book will no doubt launch thousands of games of "Go and Get." LaRochelle and Wohnoutka are masters at what they do, and this title is one no picture book collection should be without. VERDICT A rollicking book for story hours or independent reading, this title is fun to share and a must for collections aimed at emerging readers.—Debbie Tanner - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/15/2024 *Starred Review* A parent or teacher (not pictured) challenges Jack and Jill, two children, as well as Rex, a dog, to “go and get” something that begins with a certain letter of the alphabet. Responding to F, Jack brings a frog and Jill, a fish. Rex brings a duck. When reminded that duck doesn’t begin with F, he responds, “Woof, woof, woof,” explaining that this duck is his friend. The next challenge brings slightly less conventional finds from Jack and Jill and more creative thinking from Rex. In each challenge, he initially confounds his teacher’s expectations but triumphs once his reasoning is understood. The “go and get” challenges are met with increasingly absurd and wacky finds until Rex surprises everyone with his unexpectedly predictable treasures. From the creators of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award–winning See the Cat (2020), here’s another genuinely funny book. LaRochelle is very effective at creating comical situations, and his text reads aloud beautifully. In Wohnoutka's expressive gouache illustrations, which include speech balloons, Rex's puppy-dog eyes and body language make the story’s outcome seem inevitable, but surely kids wouldn’t have it end any other way. Well attuned to its audience of prereaders and beginning readers, this book is zany, fun, and downright irresistible. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.