Scout, a 110-pound Golden Retriever, is king of his domain. He patrols the family house: monitoring the squirrels outside, inspecting the backyard, supervising the mail truck. Then Rex joins the family. Rex is a fearless 7-pound Himalayan kitten who claims Scout’s territory as his own and won’t back down. Although they ignore each other on the couch, both animals assert their dominance otherwise. Rex jumps up on the forbidden kitchen counter. Scout blocks the stairs. They do not fight, nor do they retreat, standing nose-to-nose. Then a booming thunderstorm gives them something scary to face down together. After that night, Scout and Rex make room for each other, and share their guardianship of the house. Datta and Datta narrate in straightforward, non-rhyming prose, presented in large, blocky text on the facing pages of Vineyard’s distinctive digital illustrations. These images are bright and diverting, with Cubist leanings, and provide a jaunty contrast to Rex and Scout’s Cold War standoff. The impressively rendered thunderstorm scene, in particular, is a mini masterpiece. Scout and Rex exude personality, and the lesson they learn—that being fearless doesn’t require dominance of those around you—will serve young readers well.