ANNOTATION

Carl the rottweiler takes charge when things take an unexpected turn at the day care center he is visiting.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Now in board book editions, Carl will be baby's best friend!

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Mice, a rottweiler, an arachnid and a few other assorted critters make sturdy reappearances in five board book versions of picture books. In Ellen Stoll Walsh's Mouse Paint, ``three white mice on a white piece of paper" enjoy a colorful romp, while in Walsh's Mouse Count a similar gaggle narrowly escapes being served for dinner (Harcourt/Red Wagon, $6 each, 28p, ages 1-3 ISBN 0-15-200265-0; -200266-9 Sept.). Yet another mouse searches the animal kingdom for companionshipand finds an unexpected respondentin Eric Carle's Do You Want to Be My Friend? (HarperFestival, $6.95, 32p, ages 2-6, ISBN 0-694-00709-9 Sept.). The rewards of industriousness are celebrated in a second Carle title, The Very Busy Spider; its embossed web brings a tactile dimension to his familiar collage artwork (Philomel, $9.95, 26p, ages 2-up ISBN 0-399-22919-1 Aug.). Finally, the canine in question is Alexandra Day's beloved Carl, who takes charge of a crew of toddlers in Carl Goes to Day Care (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $5.95, ages 1-3 ISBN 0-374-31145-5 Sept.).

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

Familiar characters are a sure success and this year has brought new books that focus on characters much beloved by children. Young children will be comforted in the transition to school, like the young heroine when that good canine Carl goes to daycare. The few words show the flurry of early school fun and hold humor for adults who are sharing the book.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-The lovable Rottweiler returns, this time accompanying his young owner on a visit to a daycare center. When the teacher accidentally gets locked outside, Carl takes charge. His reading skills stand him in good stead as he consults the posted list of planned activities and oversees the children in an atmosphere of controlled chaos. Day juxtaposes the indoor scenes with the imaginative but unsuccessful efforts of the teacher as she tries to get into the building. Carl finally solves that problem, too. Fans of the intelligent canine will enjoy the latest entry in the series, and many preschoolers will recognize familiar details of daycare life.-Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN

BookList - Ellen Mandel

In his previous appearances, Carl the rottweiler has looked after baby Madeleine when her mother takes a brief excursion, as in "Carl's Afternoon in the Park" (1991), or when her parents both go out for the evening, as in "Carl's Masquerade". But this time Carl takes charge of a roomful of children when Madeleine's pull-toy dislodges the day-care room's doorstop, locking the teacher out and Carl and all the youngsters in. Not prone to panic, Carl follows the posted list of the day's activities, from music time to nap time. All the while, the teacher is spotted outside futilely trying to pry open the window, unscrew the door lock, climb through the skylight, and even pull the door down with her car. Finally she holds a sign up in the window requesting Carl to open the door. Once again, Day's expressive paintings energetically detail the comic scene; just a few lines of conversational text introduce and conclude the story, which is sure to be a favorite in a deservedly popular series.