Ruby and Fred

When the owner's away, the pets playDand show their alliances in this somewhat flat picture book outing. Ruby, a verbose parrot, rules the household, flitting hither and yon, playfully pestering Fred the poodle and teasing Chita the cat, who has been banished to the outdoors. But when someone accidentally leaves the door to the house open and Chita has a clear path to Ruby, Fred comes to his gabby pal's defense. The text combines humdrum commentary (""Morning is bath time"") with Ruby's one-sided dialogue, printed in red (""Wash me, wash me./ Hee, hee, hee!/ Hey, that tickles!/ Ha, ha, ha!"" says Ruby as Fred licks her clean). Onomatopoeic words (""Slurp,"" ""Woof,"" ""Rowr"") scamper across many of the pages, adding a sense of action. More compelling are Caldecott medalist Lent's (The Funny Little Woman; The Beastly Feast) illustrations, a blend of stamplike, handmade cardboard-cut prints and computer styling. The zippy colors are slightly mottled, giving the subjects a rustic folk-art look. Ages 3-6. (Oct.)