THE DOG WHO LOVED THE GOOD LIFE

Party animal Jake, a pup the color of premium lager, rejects his dog dish and walks on his hind legs. He monopolizes the remote control when his befuddled owner, Mr. Hibble, wants to watch TV. "One day, Mr. Hibble's car keys were missing," and the milquetoast man comes home to find a pack of mutts eating fast food in the living room; a Chihuahua snoozes in a greasy pizza box, and Jake wears a lampshade on his head. "The next morning Mr. Hibble put Jake on a bus to California," and when that doesn't work, Mr. Hibble gives Jake to his niece. The final image shows the pooch sitting sullenly at a tea party. Given Jake's delinquent nature, this arrangement seems temporary at best, despite the concluding lines ("From that day on, Sara always had someone to play with"). Newcomer Langdo characterizes Jake as a mute but untamed hound, whose koala bear–cuddly body and studiously innocent expression belie his streetwise ways; the deadpan narration and blunt, rounded animal portraits recall Tim Egan's work. Langdo establishes Jake's devil-may-care attitude without a doubt, but does not suggest much personality beyond the joie-de-vivre. Ages 3-7. (Nov.)