Carl and the Baby Duck

May 1, 2011

K-Gr 2-Day's Good Dog, Carl (Green Tiger Press, 1985) is a classic, nearly wordless picture book about a lovable Rottweiler charged with minding the baby. In this spin-off, the easy, repetitive text is supported by colorful illustrations that provide context clues as Carl searches for a missing baby duck in several locations. Children will enjoy this next level of reading about a familiar character.-Nicole Waskie-Laura, Chenango Forks Elementary, Binghamton, NY

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2011
Preschool-G The My Readers series brings established children's characters into a uniform easy-reader format, and first up is the lovable rottweiler Carl. Written at Level One (Level Two features books starring Harry Cat and Tucker Mouse, and Level Three resurrects Black Beauty), this is perfectly pitched for the early reader with its gentle repetition and clear presentation. With timeless illustrations that humanize the animal characters without anthropomorphizing them, the book follows Carl as he helps Mama Duck search for a missing duckling. Simple concepts, such as splitting up, are presented gracefully: Mama Duck goes one way to look for Baby Duck. Carl goes another way. The subsequent search has a nice rhythmno, the duck is not in the bush or behind the benchthat's broken at just the right moment, as a rare two-page spread reveals a busy playground with a much-less-certain conclusion: It doesn't look like Baby Duck is here. But when Carl, and young readers, search harder, they will find a happy surprise.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)