BOW WOW: A Day in the Life of Dogs; MEOW: A Day in the Life of Cats

Humans' long-held (and much-explored) fascination with the secret lives of their pets inspires a pair of picture books that lack any real bite. Reinen frames her photo-essays as animals snapping candid shots of their friends and neighbors throughout the day. Various breeds of dogs and cats are "caught" eating, sleeping, bathing, playing and otherwise passing the time when their masters are not around. Unfortunately, Reinen's staged, stiff portraits string together as an unrelated series of precious studio-shot greeting cards (something Reinen is noted for) or posters, rather than a "day-in-the-life" exposé. Her crisp photos, boldly colored backgrounds and eye-catching props may attract youngest readers and devoted pet lovers, but in the end do not elevate these titles to adoption-worthy status. Dav Pilkey's When Cats Dream attacks this idea with more vigor, and clever works like Pilkey's Kat Kong and Dogzilla as well as William Wegman's weimaraner oeuvre remain the books to beat in the photographs-of-pets-in-costume category. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)