Butterbean knew she wasn’t always a good dog. Still, she’d never considered herself a BAD dog—until the morning that her owner, Mrs. Food, fell in the hallway. Admittedly the tile was slipperier than usual, mostly because Butterbean had just thrown up on it.

Now Butterbean and her fellow pets have to come up with a grand plan to support themselves in case Mrs. Food is unable to keep taking care of them. When they discover a mysterious man in their building who seems to have lots of loot, they plan a heist. Oscar the mynah bird is the brains of the operation. Walt the cat has the necessary slyness and slink. Marco and Polo are the reconnaissance rats. And Butterbean...well, no one would ever suspect a cute little wiener dog, right? Can these animal friends can pull off the heist of the century?

Emily Ecton is a former writer and producer for Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!, the NPR news quiz. She has also been a playwright, a chinchilla wrangler, an ice cream scooper and a costume character. After years
of living in Chicago, she now lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her dog, Howdy.

Dave Mottram is an old-timey illustrator from the 1900’s. He has illustrated numerous picture books and chapter books. Currently, Dave works with Khan Academy illustrating Social Emotional Learning lessons for elementary school students.

For more information about Emily Ecton, visit her webpage.

For more information about David Mottram, visit his webpage

Votes cast for each title:

The Great Pet Heist                                                         1189

Battle Dragons: City of Thieves                                     1058

Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom                     1036

Concealed                                                                          907

Starfish                                                                               811

A Kind of Spark                                                                 576

CeCe Rios and the Desert of Souls                               494

Playing the Cards You're Dealt                                       331

Maya and the Robot                                                         267

Boys in the Back Row                                                      263

The Insiders                                                                      260

Barakah Beats                                                                  105

 Thank you to everyone who read and voted!

2024 Sasquatch Award Nominees