Housebound wiener dogs Augie and Perry get up to no good when left on their own. Posing his pooches on four legs or, anthropomorphically, two (or even, at the beginning, as busts on stands), Falconer takes a break from his long-running Olivia series to proffer as winsome a doggy duo as ever was. Drawn with great and often hilariously expressive precision--and frequently placed on entirely blank backgrounds to call attention to the fact--the two dachshunds appear at first glance as dignified as "little Roman emperors." Appearances can be deceiving, though: "Most of the time Augie looked more serious. Perry was all over the place." As their human family, never seen (except once as light-skinned hands), is gone all day at work or school, the dogs look for ways to relieve their boredom…first by tussling over a ball, then by figuring out how to open the back door to an exciting world of flowers to water, a pool to splash in, and, best of all, a lawn to excavate ("Dachshunds love to dig"). The sound of a car pulling in may touch off some momentary panic ("We're going to get in TROUBLE, Augie!"), but dachshunds are also smart enough to run back inside and exude innocence convincingly enough to earn treats rather than punishment. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A snug, funny round of hijinks by low dogs. (Picture book. 5-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In Falconer's (Olivia) new picture book, Perry and Augie are matching dachshund housemates--lithe, hilarious, and terribly bored. Left alone inside all day, they squabble. Perry steals Augie's ball ("The ball was very important to Augie"); Augie gets revenge via piano ("PLEASE, AUGIE, NO! NOT THE PIANO!"), pounding the keys as black bars of music thunder across the page. Desperate for adventure, they break out into the garden. An afternoon of guilty pleasure unfolds, from rolling in raccoon poop to discovering a small hole to excavate: "Then they heard the car drive up." Falconer's spreads not only share the sly wit of his previous piglet heroine's exploits; they offer beauty, too, in classically drawn forms ("Indeed, they look like little Roman emperors," the opening sequence observes) as the dogs romp across crisp, full-color backgrounds of grass and greenery in an exuberant display of canine choreography. The artist's insight into the inner lives of dogs ("Hurl yourself at the door and bark!") and gift for capturing their characteristic movements tick all the visual storytelling boxes, making this dachshund's-day-out story a delight. Ages 4--8. Agent: Conrad Rippy, Levine Plotkin & Menin. (June)