CARL MAKES A SCRAPBOOK

Everyone's favorite rottweiler returns to the page. Mother wants to putter in the garden, so she suggests that Madeleine and Carl watch a video about the alphabet. Carl, as is his wont, has other plans. He digs out the family photo album. The left side of each spread has been filled in with Mother's snaps, but the right side is bare, so Carl proceeds to paste in his favorite photos and memorabilia. Carl's heroes and heroines are met, vacation scenes endured, family gatherings attended. It's fun to see actual pictures of incidents from Day's (Carl Goes to Daycare, 1993, etc.) earlier Carl efforts: Madeleine getting ready for her first visit to daycare, playing in the park, Paddy and his green kerchief. It's fascinating, too, to see how Day's mind works, how she grabbed a scene or a moment and fashioned it to the page. Here's a laid-back and sentimental Carl, yet another appealing side of the Åber-hound. (First printing of 75,000) (Fiction/Picture book. All ages)