Good Dog, Carl – A Canine Babysitter with Lots of Stories to Tell

©2008,Ramona K Silipo. All rights reserved.
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.

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day.

The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams, with gorgeous illustrations by William Nicholson, can truly wear the designation, A Modern Classic. First published in 1922, the original edition is now available again from Doubleday, in their “A Book for Young Readers” series. It’s also available in paperback and in various editions with more contemporary art. I recommend the original, however, because the words and pictures are perfect together.

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time . . . “

This is a wondrous book to read to the little ones, and one that older children can read to younger siblings.

The story begins at Christmas, when a sweet stuffed rabbit sits atop the boy’s stocking. It becomes a sweet, but not overly sentimental, story about love and loyalty. The philosophy is deep, but not complex, and the nature of love is its center.

I attended a wedding once where The Velveteen Rabbit was the principal reading. It fitted perfectly.

Follow My Leader

Follow My Leader, by James B. Garfield, one of the best modern books for young readers, is back in print.

The story follows Jimmy Carter, a twelve-year-old baseball player who is suddenly blinded by a firecracker. We see Jimmy when the bandages are unwrapped from his eyes, and feel his anger and fear. We are with him on each step of his recovery from the injury, from the first visit by a social worker to his unprecedented trip to the guide dog school and his day-by-day training there. Ultimately, we are there when he encounters the boy who inadvertantly blinded him, and is able to forgive him and move on.

This book appeals to both boys and girls aged about ten to twelve or thirteen. Depending on reading ability, younger readers can also identify through the character of Jimmy’s kid sister, Carolyn. Parents of children with disabilities will recognize the challenges that Jimmy’s mother has to meet.

I read it when I was ten, and I was riveted by the process of Jimmy’s learning how to work with his guide dog, whom he names Leader. it’s a wonderful story of the relationship between dogs and humans.

I’ve reread the book a number of times over the years, and it holds up beautifully. It’s fascinating, funny, challenging and with a few elements just scary enough to appeal to kids’ need for peril in their stories.

The book is neither sentimental nor cold, and the relationships are drawn very realistically. I highly recommend this one as a book to get your kids away from the computer and television screens and get them interested in reading.

Christmas Stories (2)

An Oxford Book of Christmas Stories includes both traditional and modern tales, and the illustrations are evocative and lush. These are stories for grown ups to enjoy and to read with children.

Some of the titles will give you an idea: “Burper and the Magic Lamp,” by Robert Leeson. “Ghost Alarm,” by Nicholas Fisk. “The Anarchist’s Pudding,” by Geraldine McCaughrean. Mr. Pickwick’s adventure sliding on the ice is included as well.

How about an opening to whet the appetite: “Jeremy James first met Father Christmas one Saturday morning in a big shop. He was a little surprised to see him there, because it was soon going to be Christmas, and Jeremy James thought Santa Claus really ought to be somewhere in the North Pole filling sacks with presents and feeding his reindeer” — from “Father Christmas and Father Christmas,” by David Henry Wilson.

Several of the stories have sinister or macabre twists, and the Christmas ghost story is a classic form, thanks to Charles Dickens.

Stories by Paul Auster, Ann Beattie, Ray Bradbury, Italo Calvino, Annie Dillard, Patricia Highsmith, Jane Smiley and others are included in A Literary Christmas, Great Contemporary Christmas Stories, a collection from the Atlantic Monthly Press. These are stories for avid readers and for those who want to sample the work of some of the most interesting writers of our time. Some entries are excerpts from previous works, and some are topical short stories. A great read for the Christmas season.

For stories in song, The Penguin Book of Christmas Carols is very handy. It includes all the verses of fifty Christmas carols as well as the music, and it’s small enough to slip into a handbag on the way to Midnight Mass or Christmas service. The carols are from throughout Europe, some dating as far back as the Middle Ages. The book includes a brief history of each carol and an introduction with a short history of Christmas caroling, as well as notes on the carols in performance. Like all Penguin Books, it’s a fantastic bargain.

And don’t forget, there are many editions of A Christmas Carol available, from economy paperbacks to lushly illustrated coffee table versions. The movies are fun, especially the musical, Scrooge, with Albert Finney in the title role; but reading the story with your family or friends is a wonderful way to spend Christmas Eve.

Speaking of the movies, let me put in a vote for the oldie with Alistair Simm as Scrooge. Yes, it’s in black and white. But Simm is such a wonderful Scrooge, and he looks like such a jovial granddad, this is a perfect version for children. The Ghost of Christmas Future is really scary, too, which the kids really like!

©2007, RK Silipo. All rights reserved.