Carl Goes to Daycare

Everybody's favorite rottweiler is back for the sixth adventure in Day's immensely popular near-wordless picture book series. This time, the canine Mary Poppins accompanies preschooler Madeleine to daycare. As usual, there's a little intrigue to spice up the outing: here, the teacher accidentally locks herself out of the building. Various insets show the teacher as she tries in vain to break back in. Meanwhile Carl, demonstrating his ability to read, takes over and corrals the kiddies through their appointed activities for the day--snack, crafts, nap, etc. As usual, Carl manages to pull the wool over the adults' eyes; he lets the teacher back in just as Madeleine's mother drives up outside. Day's sunny watercolors continue to have a fresh, timeless appeal, and fans can only hope that her winning duo will be around for a long time to come. All ages. (Oct.)