Spring's coming to the Texas Panhandle in The Case of the Tricky Trap and Hank the Cowdog gorges himself on fresh new grass. Drover tries to talk him out of it. Hank doesn't listen to him of course. The next scene in hired hand Slim Chance's smelly pickup truck is fun for listeners, but Hank is not amused.

There's trouble in the feed shed on the Lopers' ranch. Something has torn open the paper sack containing the corn for the wild turkeys. Hank deduces that it was a raccoon based on the tracks left behind. Drover's guess was funnier.

Hank has mentioned (many times before) how lazy Slim Chance is, so it's not at all surprising that the cowboy prefers to set his homemade raccoon trap instead of fixing the warped bottom of the feed shed door.

Hank manages to get himself caught in the trap. Mr. Erickson was very kind and didn't add to our favorite cowdog's humiliation by having Pete the Barncat find him there. In fact, Pete doesn't show up at all. Does anyone besides Slim witness Hank's humiliation? Yes. Wallace and Junior, the buzzards who have appeared quite often since the first book, The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, do. In fact, Wallace (with Junior's help), sings 'Don't Ever Step in a Trap'. Talk about rubbing salt in a wound...

I enjoyed the way Drover talked himself out of trouble with Hank later. Hank sings 'The Heavy Moral Decision Song', after he orders Drover to check out the tripped trap by himself. The end made me chuckle.

The cover is no cheat. Eddie the Rac, introduced in Moonlight Madness, appears. Will Eddie be able to trick Hank yet again?

I had fun with the trouble Hank's oversize ego got him into. Personally, I suspect that Drover was only faking being asleep in one scene, even though he said pretty much the sort of thing he usually says in his sleep. Listen and decide for yourself.

It's another good adventure for the whole family to enjoy. ( )