Carl's Afternoon in the Park - Hardcover

Alexandra Day is the author and illustrator of Good Dog, Carl and the rest of the beloved Carl books, including Carl Goes Shopping, Carl's Christmas, Carl's Birthday and Carl's Snowy Afternoon. The Darlings' own dog, a Rottweiler named Toby, was the original model for the main character of Good Dog, Carl. Since then, two other Darling Rottweilers have posed as Carl in the sequels: the late Arambarri, who was named for one of the Darlings' favorite jai alai players; and Zabala, who currently moonlights as an Our Best Friend therapy dog, visiting hospitals to cheer patients.

PreSchool-Grade 1-- America's most endearing Rottweiler is left in the park by his mistress to mind not only the baby but also a friend's frisky puppy. Fans of Good Dog, Carl (Green Tiger Pr., 1985), Carl Goes Shopping (1989), and Carl's Christmas (1990, both Farrar) will not be surprised to learn that he rises to the occasion. The baby seems a tiny bit older in this book and expectantly clambers onto Carl's back the moment the adults disappear. The venturesome trio embarks on a series of merry capers: a romp in a flower bed, a splash with a hose, a ride on a merry-go-round (with Carl as the "horse"), and so on. In one of the funnier scenes, Carl and the baby pose for a painting class and are rendered cubistically, abstractly, and impressionistically by the students. As always, Carl returns his charges safely to their point of origin--just in time to receive his unsuspecting mistress's commendation. In her familiar realistic, painterly style, Day is a master of sweet but not cloying illustration. Her colors are bright and clear; her animals and children expressive and appealing. The flow of the episodic events may seem slightly truncated in spots (e.g., the puppy, lifted aloft by a balloon, is grasped by the baby but the next plate shows both baby and puppy having an ice-cream cone). It's a minor quibble. The fact that no responsible adult would ever leave a baby unattended in a public park today and that, after three books, the concept is not as original and fresh, will matter little to the followers of Day's wordless fantasies. --Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.