Shifty Mcgifty and Slippery Sam

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

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! This paperback edition includes a free audio reading.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

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 cafe 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. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam are burglar dogs who fail miserably at every heist they attempt. They put together a plan to invite their neighbors to tea and to slip out and rob their houses while the other dogs enjoy themselves. They bake lots of yummy treats, including fruit pies, cupcakes, and doughnuts with raspberry jam. When the party is in full swing, the canine duo sneaks through the window and ventures out on their crime spree. Little do they know that the joke is on them-someone heard what they intended to do and spilled the beans. Their neighbors follow them and make a citizens' arrest. Realizing that robbing makes everyone sad, Shifty and Sam stumble across a possible career change-opening a GoodyDogs cafe. The story, written in rhyme and accompanied by Lenton's mixed-media illustrations, is lively and expressive. The baked treats look good enough to eat and will surely appeal to storyhour audiences. Each page contains a tiny spider that children will love to try to spot. Shifty and Sam are proud of their new way of honest living-"they never grumble or groan, they love baking cakes, and they leave crime alone."-Krista Welz, North Bergen High School, NJ (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

This charming UK import follows two robber dogs, whose bag of swag is consistently empty. We meet them at the end of a long, unsuccessful night, as they return to their ramshackle home and empty the swag bag. Its contents: a single spider (which appears throughout). Shifty, a mutt, and Slippery, a pug, review their night's adventures: they failed at robbing the bank and the butchery, yes, but most humiliating (and hilariously depicted in a rushing double-page spread) were the animals that chased them out of the zoo. Yep, they need a new approach. So they invite their neighbors over for a tea party, hoping to rob their homes while the guests are scarfing down treats. However, as they concoct delicacies, they discover something unexpected: baking is fun! This fresh take on the trickster-tricked idea with a rhyming text that meshes well with Lenton's mixed-media illustrations should get plenty of use from your library's own sticky-finger gang.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2010 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Frustrated with botched burglaries, Shifty and Sam hatch a plan to steal from their neighbors while hosting a tea party. The guests are wowed by the robber dogs' homemade goodies before they catch on. With a little encouragement, the pooches are swayed from a life of crime to one of baking. Mixed-media illustrations of comical canines and colorful cupcakes pair with witty rhymes. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Some rather slim fun about a couple of dogs making indecently sweet desserts. Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam are two pooches in the robbery biz. But they are a luckless duo, their swag bag empty night after night. They hit on a plan--not a very community-minded one--to rob their neighbors. They'll throw a party, and when everyone is making merry, Shifty and Sam will sneak out and ransack their homes. Bad dogs! Shifty and Sam also realize that they have to make fixings for the party and fall pretty hard for the art of baking: cupcakes, pies, cakes and doughnuts--"So creamy!" "So dreamy!" "The best buns in town!" gasp their neighbors. When the two dogs make their nefarious move, one of the partygoers overhears their plan and alerts the others, who follow at a distance. Shifty and Sam are thwarted. They are advised to go legit: Open a bakery. No clever turns here, no unexpected much of anything: The two dogs are on the path to rightness since their path to wrongness was a bust. The rhymed text is comfortable and has a certain melody; the artwork of pastel oil and chalk in party colors--pastry's best friends on the page--is pure confection. The illustrations are delicious, but the tale cuts little new ground. (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.