Zelda, The Queen of Paris

Move over, Marley: here comes Zelda, a scruffy, high-spirited dog struggling to survive in the mean streets of India -- until she charms her way into an American family and goes on to fame and glory in Paris, Italy, and California Wine Country.

In India, wild scavenging street dogs are considered the lowest of the low. Shopkeepers swat them away with brooms. Mothers scream at them and kick them away from their kids. Taxi drivers often drive straight at them and even run them down. After a little time in India you can understand why: These dogs can be vicious, and many carry nasty infections and disease, including rabies. Not surprisingly, most of these dogs come to a miserable end.

This is the story of one lowly street dog who was determined to do better. One day, while roaming the streets of New Delhi and begging for something, anything to eat, she found her way to the backdoor of Paul Chutkow and his very pregnant wife Eda. Paul wanted no part of this mangy mutt; India was in the throes of a major political crisis, their first child was on the way, and this dog promised to be nothing but trouble.

But this little beast had charm, humor, and a magnificent spirit: if beg she must, she would do so with dignity and her best paw forward. For Paul and Eda, there was simply no resisting her. Soon, Zelda was an essential part of their young family, and before long she was on her way to Paris and a life far beyond anyone’s dreams: with royal care, gourmet meals, and heavenly summers on the island of Sardinia. At first, her Parisian neighbors shunned the lowly mutt and wished she’d go away. But when Zelda alertly captured a very high-end wine thief -- only in France! -- she won every heart in the neighborhood and was promptly crowned “The Queen of Paris.” What a girl! What a story! And what a delightful addition to the wealth of dog books that so many American readers love and cherish!