by Moe Zilla

Created on: August 02, 2009

Call it "Law and Order: Canine Intent." It's a classic mystery for children where the wrongfully accused is a dog! Poor Ike Larue is hauled off to prison on the book's first page. ("As if I didn't suffer enough in obedience school," he complains on the book's inside cover.) The dog assures readers that "the whole thing is a big mistake." It's like a good noir detective story - twisting through a very unique format!

The dog tells his sad story in a series of first-person letters, and it's interspersed with clippings from the local newspaper - the Snort City Register-Gazette. ("Hibbins' Cats Missing. Dog Suspected...") The dog has written complaining letters before - from obedience school - in a previous book. (And Ike's next book would be "Letters from the Campaign Trail: LaRue for Mayor.") But in this book - subtitled "Letters from the Investigation" - author-illustrator Mark Teague uses the format for new and exciting effects.

"Police nab Larue," reads a photo caption in a drawing of the local newspaper. Mrs. Hibbins' cats have disappeared, and she blames the dog, citing his tussle with the cats nearly two years ago. The letters reveal that Mrs. Gertrude LaRue - Ike's owner - is vacationing in Europe, and Ike complains about the "loathsome dungeon" where he's being detained for questioning. But following the books' formula, Teague's color illustrations show that Ike is exaggerating - and the friendly police officers are actually feeding him tasty doggie treats, and even playing checkers and card games with the happy dog. "It has become shockingly apparent that you do not intend to come get me," Ike berates the vacationing Mrs. LaRue.

And he imagines more dire headlines the Snort City Register-Gazette. ("No news on cats. Dog still blamed.") Teague humorously shows that the real headlines are far more mundane. ("Record pumpkin awarded at fair," reports the Snort City Register-Gazette. "Turnip also honored.") But soon instead of describing the missing cats, the newspapers really are buzzing about a new "major crime spree" which, coincidentally, involves missing birds. What's wonderful about this book is that young readers get to imagine the real story - for themselves - from the stilted newspaper accounts and the unreliable dog narrator.

Teague contributes dual illustrations - what's being described, and what actually happened. Now that the dog's escaped, the letters are handwritten instead of typed, and he describes an intense investigation through the alley in "an awful part of town." The illustrations show Ike LaRue has actually checked himself into the "Snort City Plaza Hotel," where he enjoys a warm bubble bath, and orders room service. But in his imagination, the dog is working the phones at a seedy detective office - with a copy of The Maltese Falcon on his desk!

The dog does make a crucial deduction: criminals always return to the scene of the crime. (To give readers a hint, the book's title page had shown the smiling dog who's chased two cats up a tree.) "Cats Rescued! LaRue Saves the Day!" proclaims the Snort City Register-Gazette. "[W]e had considered the dog a suspect, especially after he escaped," the police detective tells the newspaper.

"I completely misjudged him," admits the cats' owner, Mrs. Hibbins. And the dog's owner has the best news of all.

"I'm proud of my Ike."

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