CARL AT THE DOG SHOW

Mischievous Madeleine and her canine companion, Carl the Rottweiler, attend a dog show in this latest entry in the long-running series.

Madeleine, a little girl of 4 or 5, is given permission by her mother to wander through the dog-show arena with Carl’s help, meeting up later to watch Carl’s brother in competition. Madeleine rides on Carl’s back as they amble through the grooming and bathing areas, grabbing supplies and splashing in a washing tub. They visit display booths and vendors selling dog supplies, including a particularly intriguing booth selling coordinating costumes for dogs and their owners. Their journey concludes as Madeleine rides on Carl’s back to meet her mother, who again is clueless as to the adventures her daughter and dog have just experienced. The three final pages show thumbnail sketches with the names of all the dog breeds shown in the busy illustrations of the dog-show setting. There are just a few lines of text at the beginning and end, spoken by the mother and the other dog owner, so young readers and adults sharing the story can make up their own version of Madeleine and her dog’s adventures.

Carl and his concept are getting a bit long in the tooth, but fans of the series and Rottweiler owners will still find Carl a charming canine character.