Carl Makes a Scrapbook - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 1-The scene is set by the full-page painting opposite the title page on which a young girl and her mother are shown working on a scrapbook with Carl, their Rottweiler, watching attentively. The action begins when Mum sets the toddler and Carl up with a video while she goes out to garden. No sooner is she outside than Carl's paw stops the video and he and the child get out the scrapbook and boxes of pictures and set to work filling the pages. When the dog senses the mother's return, he paws the fast-forward button, the child climbs into the chair, Carl lies down on the scrapbook paraphernalia, and the two of them appear as innocent as lambs. Intervening double-page spreads are randomly filled with a melange of photographs, memorabilia, and curiosities important to Carl and his young mistress. While attractively presented and interesting to peruse, there is no obvious story line to intrigue children. In spite of the lovely paintings of winsome child and handsome dog, this book will be of limited appeal.
Virginia Opocensky, formerly at Lincoln City Libraries, NE
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 3-9. Left alone to watch a video while Mom gardens, toddler Madeleine and dog Carl turn off the VCR and take out Mom's scrapbook instead. On the left half of each double-page spread are Mom's tidily captioned photos of family, vacations, holidays, etc. Carl and Madeleine haphazardly fill the right-hand page with entries from Carl's Scrapbook Contest--photos of and articles about dogs and an array of other memorabilia--and drawings of Carl and Madeleine at work reveal the gummy steps in their endeavor. As Mom returns, the sticky chums quickly fast-forward the video and plop in front of the TV; it's obvious their mischief won't go undetected for long, however, for when Carl stands up, he is plastered with bits from their pasting. Youngsters meeting Carl for the first time will delight in these largely wordless antics, and fans of his earlier adventures will pore over the photos of his family and of him as a pup. Ellen Mandel