Queen Dog

Writing in the mannered, once-upon-a-time language of fairy tales, Heos (Mustache Baby Meets His Match) introduces Queen Dog, whose reign over her urban household is challenged by the arrival of a human baby named Catherine. In crisply delineated domestic scenes, Argentinean illustrator O'Keeffe creates a comedic disconnect between the descriptions of Queen Dog's life and what reality actually looks like. "The brave and adventurous Queen Dog led her people on quests for great treasure," writes Heos as Queen Dog--who resembles a Boston terrier and is never seen without her ruff and crown--races after a recycling truck with one of her owners in tow. By and large, this is a familiar story of displacement and reconciliation: after getting fed up with Catherine, Queen Dog has a change of heart during the child's birthday party and decides that Catherine "would live in the castle as the queen's princess-in-training." But any readers who have known either an over-pampered pup or a cranky newborn sibling should find plenty to identify with and smile at in Heos's story. Ages 3-5. (Jan.)