A conniving fox breaks into a henhouse one night and makes off with what he thinks is a chicken. When he arrives home, he discovers that the bird he stuffed into his coat pocket is actually a duck--or is it? The clever duck pretends to be a dog, carrying his ruse to elaborate lengths, from barking and wagging his tail (well, his tailfeathers) to chewing up the fox's clothes and peeing on the carpet. The puzzled fox is bamboozled by this behavior and returns the duck/dog to the farm, explaining that "foxes don't eat dogs and foxes don't have pets." After returning home, the fox wonders if maybe he should have kept the little guy after all--until he spots the egg that the "dog" left behind and realizes he's been played. The story unfolds in panel sequences like a comic, with in-image dialogue the only words, and Twohy adeptly uses that format to successfully convey both the humor and the drama of this interlude between fox and duck. The narration of the text is peppered with asides in speech balloons from the duck and the fox, and the duck's formal address of the fox ("You are mistaken, sir. I am NOT a DUCK!") also adds to the humor. The duck's doglike behavior (especially the peeing on the carpet) will cause giggles, and kids will enjoy being in on the duck's deception.

The lively illustrations, rendered in marker and colored pencil, have a casual but controlled line, and the clear compositions and expressive figures make the action easy to follow. The mostly accessible vocabulary and brevity of the text will put this within reach of many primary grade readers and the comic-like format may appeal to reluctant readers. This would be a "quacker-jack" addition to a duck- or fox-themed storytime, or an interesting title to contrast with Beatrix Potter's lengthier The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck. JH.