This time a lost dog sparks the theme of strangers and the wisdom in avoiding them. And what a collection of strangers they are! Headless trolls, people with pointy ears and huge eyes, and long-lost "aunties," who enjoy eating their guests. Stories from Scandinavia, Sierra Leone, and Iraq are highlighted in this universal warning.

Veronika Martenova Charles is an award-winning author and illustrator whose books include: Maiden of the Mist: A Legend of Niagara Falls; Stretch, Swallow, & Stare; The Crane Girl; and The Birdman, a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Illustration. Her first five books in the Easy-To-Read Spooky Tales series was published by Tundra Books in 2007. Veronika has studied at Ryerson University, the Ontario College of Art and Design, and recently completed her graduate studies in Folklore at York University. Veronika Martenova Charles lives in Toronto.

David Parkins is the award-winning illustrator of over fifty children’s books. He began his career at Dyfed College of Art in Wales, studying wildlife illustration. He then went to Lincoln College of Art for three years, and has been a freelance illustrator since his graduation in 1979. He spent several years at the beginning of his career producing illustrations for educational publishers, and has earned most of his keep drawing for the British children’s comic, The Beano. David Parkins now lives in Lansdowne, Ontario, with his wife and daughter.