Rated "Good" in our old book database by Rod and Adelia. ( )

Carl! His owner tells him to take a nap while she and Madeline (no longer a baby, but still a young child!) go run errands for the day. Of course, Carl ends up going out and about near them, even saving puppies from danger.

This dog has an awful lot of time on his paws! ( )

'Carl's Sleepy Afternoon' is just one of many picture-books in the popular children's series about the life and adventures of a lovable family Rottweiler. The very first book, 'Good Dog, Carl', was published back in 1985, and has been continually in print since that date. Since his original debut, there have been fourteen other Carl titles written and released. As is the traditional style for all the books, 'Carl's Sleepy Afternoon' is mostly wordless, relying strongly on the illustrations to tell the story.

In 'Carl's Sleepy Afternoon', Carl's family- young Madeleine and her mother- prepare to go out to do some shopping and run some errands, and suggest to Carl that he take advantage of having the house to himself with a nice long nap. But as soon as they leave, it becomes apparent that Carl has no intention of being stuck indoors all day, as he sneaks out of the house and hitches a ride into town on a thrift-store truck. He ends up having a mini-adventure all on his own as he explores around, visiting different places, helping out friends and townsfolk with their daily activities, and overall just enjoying himself while making others smile... including little Madeleine, who Carl has several encounters with, unbeknownst to Mom. But will Mom realize what's been going on? And will Carl make it back home before his family?

'Carl's Sleepy Afternoon is a charming little tale to make both children and parents smile. It's interesting that Carl is apparently quite famous in town, as everybody happily greets him by name, offers him treats, and even asks for his assistance. Carl obviously enjoys helping others, and is a very clever dog, which really comes across in the illustrations through effective use of subtlety in both facial expression and body language. On each page, the story is told with little text, but an engaging array of realistic, smooth, and colourful pictures which speak clearly about each action or event taking place. Amusing asides include a delighted Madeleine spotting him at several points while the mother remains distracted- even expressing puzzlement over what her daughter is smiling at, having just missed him- and a poster of Carl himself, right behind him on the street, promoting his books while he casually sits and looks on. (This shameless plug and breaking of the fourth wall is conveyed in such an obvious fashion as to serve three purposes- test and/or expand younger children's attention to detail, surprise and delight the youngsters, and make parents aware of the existence of other books starring the pup protagonist.) There's only one thing about this book, and the entire series in general, which gave me mixed feelings; it's refreshing and original for a children's book to so positively portray a breed of dog that has such a bad reputation in real life, perhaps showing that all Rotties don't have to be seen as scary and mean, but at the same time, because of the stereotype surrounding these dogs, those who generally own them are most likely folks who would deliberately raise them to be aggressive... so it would still be in parents' best interests to talk to their children about the importance of taking caution before approaching any dog unfamiliar to them, though regardless of size or breed. ( )

Age Appropriateness: Primary
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Media: Watercolors
Characterization: Carl is a round and static character. Carl does not change much throughout the story but as the book goes on the reader learns more about Carl. On the first page Carl appears to be an ordinary dog but later on in the story the reader realizes that Carl is a friend and helper to many people in his neighborhood. Carl is no ordinary dog!
Review: This is a good example of realistic fiction because although it may not be very likely, this story of Carl the dog could have actually happened. Carl is a very friendly dog. When his owners leave the house they think he stays home and sleep in his dog bed when in reality he runs all over the neighborhood meeting his friends and helping people out. ( )

9091