Dog and Bear: Tricks and Treats

Friends Dog and Bear return in their fourth book, a collection of three brief tales, this time built around a Halloween theme. In the first story, Bear is startled when he discovers a bear that looks “EXACTLY like me” at a costume shop (youngest readers will gleefully point out that he’s looking into a mirror). In the second story, Dog takes candy from the aliens and pumpkin-headed monsters who show up at his door (“Treat, of course,” he responds, interpreting their “trick or treat” as a question instead of a demand). And, in the third story, a homeowner dressed as a ghost refuses to believe that Dog and Bear are in costume when they go trick-or-treating (they prove him wrong). Seeger skillfully sketches the characters’ emotions and humor, and the “gotcha” zingers that wrap up all three stories will leave readers with a smile. Ages 3–7. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Aug.)