Publisher's Weekly Review

Digz, a black and white dog, and Zuri, a gray squirrel, both see themselves as royalty in Ms. Pincher's idyllic backyard garden, and initial lines develop their backstories. Digz, once a lonely and frightened pup at a pound, is now fiercely protective of his happy home. Zuri, whose short tail makes her feel different from her siblings, roams the garden with confidence. When Zuri inadvertently tickles Digz's nose one day, it results in a confrontation that underlines the squirrel's beliefs about the dog's intelligence ("that ding-a-ling dope"), and the dog's about the squirrel's physicality ("that furry turd... with the tail too short"). Things escalate, but in the heat of conflict, Digz pauses: regarding frightened Zuri reminds him of his own past pain and confusion. Who says the garden can't have two monarchs? Actor Pine makes his picture book debut with a familiar tale of an empathy epiphany, while pencil and digital illustrations from Groenink (Mum, Me, and the Mulberry Tree) create a vivid sense of place and give the animalian protagonists a touching, relatable emotional immediacy. Human background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4--8. (Oct.)