Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 05/01/2015 PreS-K—A great cover design—a scared-looking opossum, stark black background, and the title in shiny silver lettering—will grab kids' attention. Endpapers in black, relieved only by three pairs of wide open eyes, will build suspense. As the story begins, Possum is hiding in the woods when a friendly skunk comes along. Possum spreads a fear of "night animals" to the skunk, then a wolf, and a bear. It takes a calm bat to explain to them that they are night animals. The illustrations include a lot of visual humor, as in Possum "playing possum" by acting dead and Skunk spraying "perfume" each time they get scared. The inside of the cover includes scientific facts about the animals, which is a nice feature that unfortunately will present processing challenges for many libraries. VERDICT A good title to share with children who may be afraid of the dark to help them see the lighter side of fear.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 06/01/2015 *Starred Review* As Possum frantically attempts to hide from “night animals,” he is joined by Skunk, then anxious Gray Wolf, and finally terrified Grizzly Bear, resulting in a humorous nighttime romp about a group of animals who don’t realize that they are night creatures themselves. Although Fruit Bat informs the frightened animals of this fact, suggesting there is nothing to fear, they all panic and flee when they encounter two flashlight-wielding (and equally startled) children. Truly remarkable illustrations clearly convey the book’s raucous activity and feature beautifully rendered animals standing in sharp contrast to pitch-black backgrounds. Glossy pages combine with Marino’s expressive brushwork to make the silvery-gray, black, and brown animal coats shine in the moonlight. Their bug-eyed expressions and body language lend additional humor to the story, along with some of their habits—the skunk randomly spraying and the possum playing dead, for example. The inside cover offers brief scientific facts about each of the book’s featured animals and explains the difference between nocturnal and crepuscular creatures. The large illustrations, abundant silliness, and forest noises will make this a fun storytime selection that can be easily paired with other nighttime-adventures tales, such as the wordless Flashlight, by Lizi Boyd (2014). This eye-catching, slapstick foray into the worrisome night will light up the room with smiles. - Copyright 2015 Booklist.