Reading Goes to the Dogs

Good Dog Carl

 Toddlers–and their reading partners– love Carl, the even-keeled Rotweiler that is charged with minding the baby in several of these beautifully illustrated picture books, including Carl’s Afternoon in the Park, and our family favorite, Good Dog, Carl.   

The books have very few words,  but the story is brilliantly told through the paintings of Alexandra Day, who incidentally owns a Rotweiler by the name of Carl.  

Readers of all ages can embellish the story of the dog that does his darndest to keep the baby safe and out of trouble,  adding details and changing words, offering opportunities for vocabulary building and for the child to take over and tell the tale the way he or she sees it.

My kids are partial to a scene in Good Dog, Carl when the baby gets into the refrigerator and Carl makes her chocolate milk.  How that dog gets the mess cleaned up before mom returns is part of his magic, and the book’s allure.