An extraterrestrial who looks like a dog tries to prove his mettle by conquering Earth.Bloop, a green ET that resembles a pug with antennae, is next in line to rule Planet XYZ. He tries but fails to follow the emperor's "rules, regulations, and robots," but the illustrations show the chaos that follows in Bloop's chaotic, albeit joyful, wake. "Bloop! Too many bloopers" the emperor proclaims and banishes Bloop to the "crazy planet" Earth. Readers can assume the emperor is Bloop's father, given the resemblance. If Bloop can conquer Earth, the emperor reasons, his worthiness to rule XYZ will be proved. Bright colors and characterizations in a cartoon-esque style take center stage. On Earth, Bloop has trouble reigning supreme. Bloop interprets the way humans care for dogs as an indicator that dogs rule the planet, so he focuses on learning their secrets. Sadly, the dogs pay no attention to him, and Bloop is still making "too many bloopers" according to the emperor. He commands Bloop to pretend he's an Earth dog. In the end, Bloop must choose between his cushy new home where he rules the roost-and receives plenty of love and affection-and his old world. It's no contest. Bloop's human family appears to be interracial, with a Black father, White mother, and mixed-race child.Easy laughs. (Picture book. 4-6)

After -too many bloopers,- green extraterrestrial Bloop, who hails from a population of canine-like creatures, is sent to conquer Earth and prove that he-s worthy to be the next emperor of his own planet. Upon arrival, he finds that Earth is already being run by beings similar to him-in fact, they-ve successfully trained humans to carry, chase, and scoop. Attempting to learn dogs- secrets, he eyes the way they -inspected their empire--sticking heads out of car windows while being chauffeured around. Hoping to insinuate himself as a way of grabbing power, the pug-like Bloop gets adopted by a loving interracial family; their adoration and service persuades him that he is now -supreme leader- with all the benefits--including something called -bacon,--- writes Lazar (The Upper Case: Trouble in Capital City). With its goofy narrative energy, skewed perspective, and accumulating visual gags, the story instantly brings to mind a classic cartoon; indeed, Boldt-s (Bad Dog) protagonist has the googly-eyed expressiveness and boundless, roly-poly physicality of a Warner Bros. animation, with a core joke that-s on human readers. Ages 4-8. Author-s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator-s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. (July)

Gr 1-3 Bloop, a bright green, pug-like alien with tiny antennae, must prove himself worthy to rule Planet XYZ by first conquering that crazy planet, Earth. It's obvious who's in charge on Earth: the fluffy ones who have servants to throw balls for them and to scoop their poop. Unable to impress the fluffy ones, Bloop attempts to blend in and discovers that he rather enjoys chasing commoners (squirrels) and taking revenge on robots (peeing on fire hydrants). Then the royal guard (dogcatcher) takes away Bloop's newfound freedom and chauffeurs him to the royal retreat (shelter), from whence he is adopted and truly does become emperor of his domain. Bloop is too dazzled by his new life to leave, and when the tiniest servant overwhelms him with an unfamiliar sensation, love, he decides to stay and defend his throne. Adults may find the tropes of dogs ruling people and love conquering all to be more worn than kids will. The candy-colored illustrations and exaggerated antics of the pop-eyed characters are sure to attract young readers. VERDICT A one-joke story that will need explaining to children, this is mildly amusing but not a first purchase. Jan Aldrich Solow, formerly Fairfax County P. S., VA