The My Readers series brings established children's characters into a uniform easy-reader format, and first up is the lovable rottweiler Carl. Written at Level One (Level Two features books starring Harry Cat and Tucker Mouse, and Level Three resurrects Black Beauty), this is perfectly pitched for the early reader with its gentle repetition and clear presentation. With timeless illustrations that humanize the animal characters without anthropomorphizing them, the book follows Carl as he helps Mama Duck search for a missing duckling. Simple concepts, such as splitting up, are presented gracefully. Mama Duck goes one way to look for Baby Duck. Carl goes another way. The subsequent search has a nice rhythm no, the duck is not in the bush or behind the bench that's broken at just the right moment, as a rare two-page spread reveals a busy playground with a much-less-certain conclusion. It doesn't look like Baby Duck is here. But when Carl, and young readers, search harder, they will find a happy surprise.--Kraus, Danie. Copyright 2010 Booklist

K-Gr 2-Day's Good Dog, Carl (Green Tiger Press, 1985) is a classic, nearly wordless picture book about a lovable Rottweiler charged with minding the baby. In this spin-off, the easy, repetitive text is supported by colorful illustrations that provide context clues as Carl searches for a missing baby duck in several locations. Children will enjoy this next level of reading about a familiar character.-Nicole Waskie-Laura, Chenango Forks Elementary, Binghamton, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Both books begin: "One of Carl's friends needs help. Who can it be?" Simple stories starring the beloved rottweiler follow. In Baby Duck, Carl helps locate a stray duckling; in Puppies, Carl dog-sits three active pups. Large print, controlled vocabulary, simple sentences and story arcs, supportive pictures, and plentiful white space make these a good choice for the newest readers. [Review covers these My Readers title: Carl and the Baby Duck and Carl and the Puppies.] (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.