Nana Says I Will Be Famous One Day

The puppy who narrates this story by Stott (Want to Play Trucks?) has a number-one fan: Nana. Friendly cartoons by Joyner (Dr. Seuss's Horse Museum) show Nana attending every concert and athletic competition ("She plans her hair appointments around my home meets") and proudly covering her walls with her grandchild's artwork. But Nana's adoration and supreme confidence in the child's talents also have a downside: she coaches from the sidelines, heckles an umpire, and blithely ignores the rights of teammates and spectators. Nana probably needs a good talking to, but it isn't going to come from the young narrator, who seems clear-eyed about her behavior but never appears embarrassed by the enthusiasm. After Nana's headstrong ways result in an injury ("She took a tumble at my basketball game trying to get a front-row seat"), he becomes her companion and caretaker. And that really is the heart of the tale: how we love those closest to our hearts, even when they're far from perfect. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)