Good Dog, Carl

Good Dog, Carl
by Alexandra Day

What it's about:
This is a story about the adventures of a baby and his dog, Carl. The baby's mommy goes out for an errand and asks Carl to look after the baby. They get into all sorts of mischief while she is away, but they clean up the evidence before she gets home. For all she knows, they were resting in the nursery the whole time.

Why we like it:
As a new mommy, this book actually upset me the first time I read it. How could a mother leave her infant home alone with the dog? Once I forced myself to accept that this is a fiction story, I was able to see the fun in this book. The baby and the dog have a great time breaking the rules together.

There are very few words in this book. Only the first and last pages have any text. The rest of the story is up to the reader to interpret. This is the biggest reason why I enjoy reading it - the storyline is different every time. I think my son likes it for this reason as well, and he also likes watching the baby get away with all sorts of "no-nos!"

Suggested Age Range:
We started reading this story when my son was about a year old. He would actually read it to himself in the playpen while I took my shower. Sometimes I would peek out the bathroom door and see him smiling at the pictures! The illustrations are a bit complicated, so I think a younger reader wouldn't be able to pick out the details as well. Now that my son is 17 months old, he looks as each picture for a long time and seems to study the details. I think he will enjoy it for several more months before he outgrows it.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1986
Little Simon
ISBN 978-0-689-80748-0
$6.99