Tricky

PreS-Gr 3— Duke, a man, and his dog, Tricky, work hard at playing tricks, cheating people, and generally being mean and greedy. When a new baker arrives in town, Duke and Tricky immediately steal a bunch of bread loves from her. One day, Duke steps out of the bakery to steal a newspaper and leaves Tricky alone with the baker, who pets the pup and gives him a treat. This act of kindness changes everything for the dog and he begins to wonder about the way he and Duke behave. When Duke destroys a beautiful cake that the baker has made, Tricky realizes that what he and Duke are doing is wrong. But of course, he can't really tell the man about his change of heart so he expresses himself in the only way he knows how: he plays tricks on his former partner. Duke is not happy to have been tricked. When he discovers that Tricky is responsible, he throws him out of the house. Left to his own devices, Tricky goes back to the bakery and follows the baker home, where he stays. Duke realizes that pulling pranks no longer has the same appeal when he's doing it alone. If an old dog can learn some new tricks, perhaps there's hope for Duke as well. Rust's art is attractive with the characters' faces being especially expressive. Colorful illustrations that expand and contract add to the power of the story. The writing and art complement each other beautifully with the straightforward text giving the story extra verve. The opportunities for discussions about kindness, second chances, and choices are legion.