Cookie the dog's initial motivation for walking upright on her two hind legs is convenience-she can reach the candy dish, she can turn on the TV, she can pull damp towels off the towel racks. ("They're very comfortable.") But once she's noticed by humans, her feat quickly escalates her to stardom. She goes from a dog show to a circus to reality TV, each promoter sealing the deal by offering Cookie snacks (and, in one case, a fanny pack). Cookie's canine friend Kevin can't help noticing that Cookie is getting more and more run down. One day Cookie laments, "I just don't know how to end it, Kev. I just don't know." Grounded, clearheaded Kevin states the obvious: "You could just stand down." Chris Monroe develops an absurd premise into a picture book that hits the humor mother lode. Monroe's clever writing and quirky art are a winning pair in this fresh, original, offbeat offering that manages to be both silly and sophisticated. (Ages 5-9)