Boasting they are “smarter than squirrels,” two comic canines patrol their backyards with a nose for trouble in this amusing first-chapter book. Dedicated to keeping the world safe for their masters, diligent doggies Down Girl and Sit chase marauding squirrels and birds and try to avoid a meddlesome feline named Here Kitty Kitty. When she gobbles all available acorns, garden flowers, bird seed, and dog food to deter hungry squirrels and birds, a very bloated Down Girl gets stuck, Pooh-like, under the shed door. When their masters go bike-riding, Down Girl and Sit follow, managing to roll in smelly leaves and splash in a slimy creek along the way. And when her master goes away overnight, a dejected Down Girl faithfully guards the premises and discovers two new friends. Lively, expressive black-and-white illustrations shot from a canine point-of-view animate Down Girl’s hilarious first-person narrative. This donut-loving dog, with her unusual perspective, is sure to tickle all lovers of man’s best friend. (Fiction. 6-9)
