Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam
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4.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
*AUDIO ENHANCED EDITION WITH READ-ALOUD AUDIO, MUSIC, AND TEXT HIGHLIGHTING*
Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam are the world’s most useless burglars. When their master plan for a robbery goes hopelessly wrong again, they discover that crime doesn’t pay but cupcakes certainly do!
Tracey Corderoy’s accomplished rhyme trips off the tongue and makes the message that honesty is the best policy as light and fluffy as a Masterchef’s souffle! This funny, quirky story, deliciously dished up by debut artist, Steven Lenton, is full of depth of detail and colour, which little ones will pore over time and time again – and the two robber dogs are adorable comic characters! A real treat – especially for dog-lovers everywhere – young and old.
“Corderoy’s rich, rhyming text is a pleasure to read aloud and the ending got a big laugh in my house.” - The Telegraph
“Corderoy’s unobtrusive, let-me-tell-you-a-story rhymes allow Lenton, a British animator making his debut, to take center stage with cheerily frenetic images that look like freeze frames from a cartoon … Lenton works on a single plane but sidesteps staginess by playing with the possibilities of horizontal and vertical space; he’s as adept at depicting an angry mob of zoo animals chasing Shifty and Sam after a botched caper as he is crafting a precarious tower of delicately decorated cupcakes.” - Publishers Weekly
“The rhyming couplets demand enthusiastic participation, and the illustrations are as light and fluffy as a good sponge … slips down a treat.” - The Times
*This special edition of Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam comes with read-aloud audio and text highlighting.*
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Two hapless canine robbers a roly-poly bulldog and a tall brown hound believe they've hit on a truly cunning plan: they'll throw a tea party. "And then, when the neighbors are here having fun,/ we'll sneak to their houses and rob every one!" But while the scrumptious doughnuts, cupcakes, pies, and "best buns in town!" that Shifty and Sam have whipped up momentarily distract the guests, the pair is invariably caught red-handed. Instead of retribution, however, their victims offer career counseling: "Why don't you open a caf instead?" Corderoy's (A Flower in the Snow) unobtrusive, let-me-tell-you-a-story rhymes allow Lenton, a British animator making his debut, to take center stage with cheerily frenetic images that look like freeze frames from a cartoon (the style may remind some readers of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends). Lenton works on a single plane but sidesteps staginess by playing with the possibilities of horizontal and vertical space; he's as adept at depicting an angry mob of zoo animals chasing Shifty and Sam after a botched caper as he is crafting a precarious tower of delicately decorated cupcakes. Ages 4 8.
Customer Reviews
A Hound Heist You Don't Want To Miss! (Says "The Literary Rat" of T.A.A.)
Whoever said it’s easier to make a dishonest living never met Shifty and Sam, two dogs with major hard luck in the thievery racket.
For every “Artful Dodger” or “Bonnie and Clyde” there’s a “Laurel and Hardy” of the robber fraternity, and that’s the badge of dishonor these dogs wear. Their “Swag” bag often empty of loot, and as such short on money.
One night, they hatch their most promising plan yet, invite their neighbors to tea, treat them to bite-sized feast, then slip out and ransack faster than you can say “R.S.V.P.”
The only thing is: they can’t afford to get a ready-made spread, and they’ve never baked before!
But hey, desperate times call for learning the precise measurements behind baking, and as a fledgling home baker myself, that’s no idle matter.
Luckily with a cookery book on their paws, and the gumption only desperation can bring about, they surprise themselves (and their guests) with a feast of truly delectable edibles.
“Operation: Trojan Tea Party” didn’t go off without a hitch, but that’s only the beginning of their problems…
Author Tracey Corderoy uses a light rhyming scheme and couplet paragraphs that convey a concise yet complete narrative that nicely blends with Steven Lenton’s illustrations that use color, light and shadows to excellent effect, I truly felt like I was living out a short film as I read through.
Without spoiling the ending, let’s just say “Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam” bring a fresh spin on the often spoken adage “Crime Doesn’t Pay.”
-Reversion of the Original Review on TalkingAnimalAddicts.com