Good Dog, Carl

Good Dog, Carl by Alexander Day

Picture book for children ages 2-8

5 out of 5 stars

Carl, a Doberman, is put in charge of babysitting the baby while Mom leaves for an afternoon.  Carl fulfills his duty by feeding the baby, playing with her, dancing with her and getting her back in her crib with the house picked up by the time Mom comes home.

Good Dog, Carl is a wordless picture book, so it cannot be considered well-written because text only exists on the first and last page with the dialogue of Mom giving Carl instructions and complimenting him on his task. It can be considered a well-illustrated book though. Because not a single letter of text can be found on any of the main pages, the illustrations are the only thing moving the story through the plot line, and the illustrations do so with ease. Wordless picture books are so great because they allow the readers of this book to create their own interpretations of the story. By creating their own interpretations, the reader can connect with the book on a higher level than those stories that are guided by text. Due to these reason, wordless books deserve a spot in any repertoire of childrens books just as much as books with words.

Other than the fact that Good Dog, Carl was one of my favorite books as a child, it also provides many lesson opportunities that would make it an even more useful tool within my future classroom. I think that children would find just as much joy in paging through this book as I did as a child and anytime a child can connect to a story and enjoy reading it makes it a worthwhile read. One lesson that would be fun as well as educational would be to have students create a wordless book themselves. After reading Good Dog Carl, I would ask the children to first write a story, and then create their story using only pictures. After these books were completed, I would have share time in which the students would pass around and trade their books for their peers to read. I think the students would enjoy this story and would gain valuable experiences in writing as well as expressing their feelings without words.