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Good Dog Carl is the first in the series of Carl books by Alexadra Day, based on her own experiences with her dog. In this story, we meet The Mother who is seen only fleetingly, because the protagonist of these books is a cuddly, paternal Rottweiler, and his sidekick is a toddler.
These books are lushly illustrated, without text, or with only one or two lines of text at the beginning of the story to set up the premise. They are wonderful for very young children and their parents to “read” together. They spark imaginations and they show little ones that books are fun and exciting. These books are beautiful for parents to look at and enjoy as outstanding art for children, and they’re joyful for children because the adventures are activities that they themselves are learning about as toddlers and pre-schoolers.
In Good Dog ,Carl we meet Carl and his charge, and follow them through a typical day. In another story, we spend a day in the park; in another Carl takes Baby shopping, and so on.
In Carl’s Christmas, one of my favourites, the paternal Rottweiler takes the toddler on his back for a Christmas Eve adventure. The illustrations show the dog dressing the baby, the baby riding his back to the toy shop, finding gifts and having other small adventures. It closes with Carl, the baby and a mouse (with its present) all sleeping peacefully in front of the fireplace.
The series includes Carl’s Birthday, Carl’s Sleepy Afternoon, Carl Goes to Daycare, You’re a Good Dog Carl (different from the first book), Carl’s Summer Vacation, Carl Goes Shopping, Follow Carl!, Carl’s Masquerade, Carl’s Afternoon in the Park.
These books come in several different formats, from chunky board books to full sized picture books with sewn bindings and sturdy covers that are meant to last on your library shelves. They are fantastic gifts for the little ones, and are a joy for the grown ups to look at.
