Carl Goes Shopping

Good Dog, Carl #2

by Alexandra Day

Carl Goes Shopping is a beautifully illustrated children’s book in the Carl series from author/artist Alexandra Day featuring everyone’s favorite babysitting Rottweiler.

When Carl is told to mind baby Madeleine at a department store, the faithful canine and his little friend do some mischievous exploring. From the toy aisles and the clothing racks and home décor, the duo make the store their own little adventure land.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Dogs, Family, Friendship

32 pages, Board Book

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Alexandra Day, the beloved creator of Good Dog, Carl, is the literary persona of Sandra Louise Woodward Darling—an artist and storyteller devoted to the deep, joyful connection between children and animals. The beloved children's book author, Alexandra Day, is the literary persona of Sandra Louise Woodward Darling, an artist and storyteller passionate about connecting children and animals.

Born in 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Alexandra Day emerged from a creative family where painting was a cherished pastime. Four formative years on a hundred-acre Kentucky farm nurtured her deep connection to animals and literature, fostering the seeds of her future artistic vision.

Day and her husband, Harold Darling, founded Green Tiger Press in 1970, marking the beginning of their publishing adventure. Her breakthrough came in 1985 with Good Dog, Carl, a book inspired by an antique German illustration she discovered in a Zurich bookshop. The story was based on her own Rottweiler, Toby, and featured her granddaughter, Madeleine, as the baby.

Over the past four next three decades, Day has published twenty-four Carl books, selling more than six million copies. The series, featuresing a gentle Rottweiler caring for a baby and their adventures, is a beloved staple of children's literature. Beyond Carl, she also created the Frank and Ernest series, The Teddy Bear’s Picnic, and many other books.

After selling Green Tiger Press in 1986, Day and Harold started Blue Lantern Publishing. In 1993, they moved to Seattle and founded Laughing Elephant Publishing. Following Harold's passing in 2016, Day continues to run the company with her family.

When not painting Carl or working at her publishing company, Day can be found spending time with her grandchildren and tending her garden. Alexandra Day often visits libraries and schools with her dogs, promoting reading and the benefits of therapy animals. Her life's work celebrates the magical bond between children, animals, and storytelling.

Reviews

[Daughter of Paper and Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a picture book in a literal sense. There is one sentence of dialogue. But we don’t need anything more to understand that Carl and the baby are probably two of the cutest menaces to ever set foot on that mall.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

That baby-sitting Rottweiler, Carl, returns in this second mostly wordless picture-book from artist Alexandra Day, as Mother once again leaves her baby in her dog's care, while she runs off to another part of the store where they are shopping. Dog and infant immediately embark on an adventurous tour of said store, exploring the various departments, and having lots of fun - playing with the toys in the toy department, sampling the treats in the fine foods department - before returning to the spot where Mother left them.

Just as charming as the first Carl adventure, Good Dog, Carl , this entry in the series had a number of humorous details that I appreciated - I found the title of the book that Carl and the baby "read" together, Rottweilers I Have Known, particularly droll - and the lovely artwork I have come to associate with these books. It's amusing to note that some reviewers seem very put off by the concept of a baby being left in the charge of a Rottweiler, as I think this is really just a sweet fantasy, and not intended as a realistic depiction of parenting or dog companionship.

[Gricel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture book based on paintings to show the different things that children could find attractive during their trip to a department store. The paintings are very simple and easy to understand for little children. Few vocabulary is used, so it could be use to encourage the children to use their voice to describe the story of the book. Ages 2-5.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 I love Carl stars

Rereading this series to my niece makes me remember why I LOVED it as a kid!

[Panda Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

This second Carl book has an unnecessarily drab color palette and a more disturbing storyline, as the mother leaves her Rottweiler in charge of her baby and baby stroller in a department store. As impossible as it was to suspend disbelief about her parenting choices when she left the baby home alone with the dog, this is much worse, and no one in the store reacts in a realistic way.

[Becca Tillotson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The boys think these are hilarious!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Carl series are some of the most beautiful children's books. But imagine my shock reading them as an adult and realizing there are no words in this book. Because of this my husband can't stand this series, but as a kid I loved dissecting each picture. I feel like kids books all look very similar these days and we need to keep this series in the rotation because it's so unique.

[Rhonda Hughes · Rating 1 out of 5]

I

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

No words! great illustrations

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is adorable. It also doesn't have much dialog, so you can change the story slightly each time for a new experience to go with the illustrations.

[Janice Ha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is interesting and is sort of like one of my past me. It's interesting because the dog takes the baby to a store exploration of food, clothing, and other types of stores. This could also remind or let others know that the dog must be leashed tight and that the dog won't run off or escape. The most interesting fact is that dogs have the ability to take care of children. I was taken care of by a dog when I was born and have treated the dog as a guardian or close friend until the day my dog pass away.

[Kaleb Beaulieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carl Goes Shopping is a wordless book. It provides ample chances for the teacher or the children to make up some of the details of the story, and the teacher can ask questions about the illustrations and what the children may think is next to come. It can encourage children to develop their use of descriptive vocabulary and observational skills, additionally it supports their creativity. If I were to use this within a classroom it would be vital to know the sequence of events from the pictures in my memory.

[Moore, Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book “Leo the Late Bloomer” by Robert Kraus is classified as non-fictional, targeting ages between 4-years and up. Nearly a wordless book, the story offers antique style illustrations to tell the story. The story is a good companion piece for a picture walk to discuss care-taking dogs, about having adventures on their own but staying safe. The story could be somewhat confusing to impressionable early readers -- reading about a mother leaving a dog in charge of her young child.

[Lillian Hazzard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really surprised to discover that this book had very few words! I really enjoyed the illustrations and would possibly either use this book to discuss what children would think was happening or similar to the 'story starters' we did in class, where I would choose a page and then have students come up with a story to go along with it. I would also probably place this book in an area where it could be viewed independently as well.

[Therese Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carl Goes Shopping is classic Carl mischief with fellow instigator Baby.

Mom needs to purchase curtains for Aunt Martha. So, she leaves our favorite literary dog Carl in charge of Baby in a large department store.

What could possibly go wrong here? Absolutely everything, but not with Carl in charge. In fact, the smartest thing Mom does is not allow Carl to be in charge of her credit card! Fortunately, there are plenty of free samples of crackers and dog biscuits, fun books and toys to peruse, a dance party in Electronics, and an insurrection and escape in the Pet department.

Parker made lots of high pitched squeals and happy faces as we talked about the department store antics. I’m sure buying Aunt Martha’s curtains could not have been a quarter of the fun.

..

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[Marisa Severin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant picture book for children of all ages. The plot was hilarious and the illustrations were captivating. Although there are very few words, this book can be used for older children to help build their inferring skills. This is truly a great read. It has found it's way to my top 10 favorite children's book.

[Sterlande Altidor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book, because it teaches children how to be responsible. This book is a fun book for all children to read even for the little ones who don’t know how to read yet. This book is perfect for children to develop their imagination. This picture book is perfect for toddlers and for the parents to read to their children.

[Amita Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great picture book for children of all ages. The plot is hilarious and the illustrations were captivating. It teaches children how to be responsible. The book has few words so it could be a good selection for building vocabulary for young children. However, it can be used for older children to help build their inferring skills.

[Charity Yost Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like all the Carl books we've read so far and how the illustrations tell the story more than the words. I also like the way they place a kinder light on a stereotyped breed of dogs. These storylines do encourage mischief; however, I'll keep renting Day's books from the library because the illustrations are gorgeous and my boys sit and watch me turn the pages as if they are watching a video.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these types of books. The fact that it has no words just means more imagination. These are great book for early readers, they get to feel successful and accomplished. The child gets to use all of their imagination and make the story their own. The illustrations are funny and care and amazing quality.

[Lexi Orrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everybody loves a good dog book, especially when the dog is cute. This book does however lack in the vocabulary department, but it makes up for it in the illustrations department. There are very few words in this book, so children have the opportunity to tell their own version of the story, if they would like too.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other than the first and last page this book has no words. The illustrations are beautiful and remind me of oil paintings. I think this book is great for children to tell their own version of the story. In the story, the dog and the baby obviously explore the shopping center but it has a lot of small detailed pictures that encourage children to talk and tell the story on their own.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adore the relationship between the child and their dog. I love animals and I think this is a great story about a child and his best friend being the family dog. I love how the dog encourages his imagination when it comes to playing dress up and going "shopping". This was a fantastic read.

[Avante' Ransom]

This book is a picture book with very few vocabulary words. The pictures could show children different things to see and what they find attractive at trip to the department store. The vocabulary words could help encourage children to use their voices and teach them how to read, by having them tell you what is going on in each picture.

[Tami Speakman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute book that children that can't read can look at independently since there are only words on the first page and the last page. The dog in the book is like a little babysitter for the baby and he keeps a watchful eye on the baby. The book encourages children that dogs even big ones aren't dangerous as long as they know them.

[Darrie McCain Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it is so cute the dog Carl is suppose to be still and watch the baby but takes the on an adventure. I would read this to my children and allow them to make up the story based on the picture. This allows the children to use their imaginations. I feel this book is beneficial to children and I really enjoyed reading it.

[Tameka Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 12 month old loved it. There are so few words so I pointed out each picture explained what they are doing maybe I exaggerated a bit and she just laughed and laughed. The artwork is just perfect and we are definitely going to be a Carl family

[Leandra Cano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot that Carl books had no words. This is excellent for emerging readers because they can invent to story. Every time they "read" the story it can be different. The dog taking care of the child can also help some children who may have a fear of dogs to over come the fear.

[Manal Cheikh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a classic book series of a child, a babysitting dog, and their adventures together.wonderful line of mostly wordless books about a faithful rottweiler tasked with minding his owner's precocious baby girl.

[Leigh Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is pretty much wordless allowing children to create the story based on the pictures. Within the book a dog and a baby go on an adventure in what seems to be a mall. The colorful pictures would provide great story clues for children.