(3) PS Young Madeleine and her Rottweiler, Carl, attend Children's Day at the zoo. Naturally, Madeleine, Carl, and a baby elephant escape: they eat ice cream, romp with kids in a backyard pool, etc. This near-wordless book's pleasures include the thrilling idea of an unsupervised pet-child combo (Madeleine looks to be about five) and Day's painterly depiction of a Rockwellian world.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Announcing that she's going to Grandma's, Mom tells Rottweiler Carl and his girl (Good Dog, Carl, etc.) that they can hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. Things don't go exactly like that. Wordless, sumptuous double-page spreads show Carl and the girl stepping out to join the Halloween festivities. The watercolor illustrations are gloriously hued, the red feather in the girl's hat gorgeous against the evening sky.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(2) PS Carl and Madeleine's usual gentle havoc--here at a dog show--is counterpointed by Day's casually elegant watercolors, which provide lots of detail about dog showing as they illustrate the mostly wordless drama. Each spread rewards close attention, as when a small dog noses a toy on a sales rack only to be politely given the toy by Carl on the next page.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(4) K-3 A propensity to mix up his Gs and Ds causes young Hector to summon up a fairy dogfather rather than the usual sort for help in getting his mother a birthday present. The St. Bernard dogfather is handsome and erudite, though he lacks the rather more doglike benevolence of the author/artist's Carl. The writing is mundane, but the wish-granting story will have appeal.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) K-3 My Readers series. After the familiar opening--"One of Carl's friends needs help..."--benevolent rottweiler Carl babysits a sick puppy while its daddy takes the others for a walk. Carl offers the fickle pup water, a snack, and more; Puppy finally just needs a nap. The limited vocabulary, helpful repetition, simple story arc, and tender illustrations are all well suited to the newest readers.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 My Readers series. In this easy reader starring the beloved rottweiler, "One of Carl's friends needs help. Who can it be?" It's Mama Cat; her mischievous kitten has climbed up a tree and can't get down. Large print, controlled vocabulary, simple sentences and story arcs, supportive pictures, and plentiful white space make this a good choice for the newest readers.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Frank and Ernest, the bear and elephant duo, take a temporary job as managers of the Elmville Mudcats--and with it a crash course in baseball jargon. Sports fans will enjoy the text with its in-the-know lingo (also defined for the uninitiated, like the main characters). Day's play-it-straight paintings--except for the elephant and bear in the infield--convey much of the spirit of baseball.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 My Readers series. Both books begin: "One of Carl's friends needs help. Who can it be?" Simple stories starring the beloved rottweiler follow. In Baby Duck, Carl helps locate a stray duckling; in Puppies, Carl dog-sits three active pups. Large print, controlled vocabulary, simple sentences and story arcs, supportive pictures, and plentiful white space make these a good choice for the newest readers. Review covers these My Readers title: Carl and the Baby Duck and Carl and the Puppies.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 My Readers series. Both books begin: "One of Carl's friends needs help. Who can it be?" Simple stories starring the beloved rottweiler follow. In Baby Duck, Carl helps locate a stray duckling; in Puppies, Carl dog-sits three active pups. Large print, controlled vocabulary, simple sentences and story arcs, supportive pictures, and plentiful white space make these a good choice for the newest readers. Review covers these My Readers title: Carl and the Baby Duck and Carl and the Puppies.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) PS Day's first nearly wordless book about beloved rottweiler Carl--and his questionable baby-sitting methods--is here presented as a paper-over-board edition, notable for its bargain price.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Elephant Ernest and bear Frank help out at a diner. The book is primarily a showcase for diner slang: "a stack with Vermont" is pancakes with syrup, "a nervous pudding" is Jell-O, etc. Day's mock-dignified illustrations, lush and attractive, add dimension to the entertaining story. A diner glossary is included to aid comprehension.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Slipping away from the less-than-watchful babysitter, gentle rottweiler Carl and his young charge head outdoors for snowy adventures. After sledding, sliding, snowmen, and snacks, the two return home just in time to shed their jackets and scarves before the grownups arrive. Reassuring paintings and minimal text capture the excitement of a day spent outside in the invigorating cold.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(2) PS At the family's cabin, Rottweiler Carl and his charge Madeleine are supposed to be taking a nap. Instead, they go canoeing, visit a playground, and surreptitiously feast on somebody else's picnic. Lush but decorous watercolors provide sober-sided counterpoint to the mischief being wreaked. The text is minimal; Day knows just how to make a story move through pictures alone.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(3) PS This sturdily bound compendium of six of the Carl stories is a little big for lap-reading but handsome in its own right. It's also valuable as a survey of Day's artistic development, moving from oils to watercolor but always displaying rich tones, plenty of warmth, and subtle humor. Neither the first book, Good Dog Carl, nor Carl's Christmas is included.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Day. A rural family and their pet menagerie take on mail service to their valley, humans and animals working together. When they notice some residents don't get mail, they contribute letters of their own. The text is minimal, the tale being told largely through Day's narrative illustrations (full-page and spot), which offer many opportunities to notice details in the clever animals' delivery service.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Day. The Bell family is at wit's end when their English bull terrier puppy chews everything in sight. Then, after the cliff their house is built on erodes and collapses, Darby chews through the wreckage to save the family. The text--dialogue and the occasional "That night..."--makes abrupt transitions, and the story stretches credulity at the end, but Day's realistic watercolors are highly expressive.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 A pajama-clad young bear tours the house and yard at night, eating pie in the kitchen, playing basketball by moonlight, and bestowing kisses on his sleeping parents before tiptoeing back to bed. The softly glowing artwork, the details of which are more suburban human than woodland (right down to the sports utility vehicle in the carport), reflect the magical quality of the cub's solo adventure.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) K-3 The rottweiler baby sitter and his toddler companion are up to their same tricks, sneaking out a window during naptime to play follow-the-leader with neighborhood kids. With Carl as leader, the kids perform such doggy antics as treeing a squirrel and begging for cookies at a local bakeshop. Fall colors enhance the lush scenery in this nearly wordless book.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann