Carl at the Dog Show

As the owner of a Rottweiler who is every bit as sweet and patient, though perhaps not as good a babysitter, as Carl, I've loved Alexandra Day's books for years. We buy copies for every kid in our circle, and they are always a hit. The illustrations are beautiful and the lack of text (most of the books include no more than a few sentences, and have many pages with no text at all) allows the reader and child to make up their own stories for the pictures, which kids often enjoy. Personally, I far prefer that to reading the same text over and over and over as often happens with a beloved children's book.The basic plot of each book is the same- Carl the rottie is left in charge of the baby (and in later books, child) and baby and dog have a series of (mis)adventures, but everything comes out well in the end due to Carl's dedication. The detailed, lush illustrations give ample material for making up stories about their activities and most kids are tickled by the sight of a baby and dog doing all sorts of things that in real life they would never get to do alone (going to shops, out for walks, etc).Disclaimer: Yes, leaving your child alone with a dog is a terrible idea and no one should ever do it in real life. But these are gentle fantasy books, and a far better representation of the temperament of the average gentle giant Rottweiler than most pop cultural references.

We have been huge Carl fans since our oldest was born in 1995 and at the time we had a Rottweiler. We own all the board book versions and brought them back out of storage recently when surprise baby number four came along. This was a Christmas gift and although the illustrations are pretty my book obsessed almost two year old lost interest one third of the way through. There is not much variation for a young child of the illustrations, page after page of dog show which begins to be boring in my opinion. Three stars because we are such big Carl fans but would likely not recommend.

Beautifully illustrated like all the Carl books. Carl at the Dog Show is my little niece's favorite Carl book. She loves me to read any Carl book to her, but she especially likes all the different kinds of dogs drawn in this book and the detailed drawings of the vendor stands, the grooming area, etc. And although she is only four, she recognizes each type of dog and can identify each by name. This is a fun and educational book for her as we talk about what each different kind of dog can do and what makes each dog unique.

I love this book. Every child in my extended family has at least one Carl the dog book. They are so beautiful that the adults fight over who gets to look at them first!

if you love dogs, you will Love Carl books!

This is my favorite of all my Carl books because the illustrations show so many breeds!

Kids love it

as usual the illustrations in this book and the story line are exceptional. I have the whole collection of my dog carl books and this one does not disappoint. the whole collection is perfect for younger children to get into reading. again the illustration are incredible. all grandmothers should have this collection!

Great price.