Good Dog, Carl! is a series of children's books by Alexandra Day.
The premise behind each book is as follows — a Rottweiler named Carl is in charge of taking care of a baby named Madeline while the parents are busy. They get into all sorts of adventures and mischief, and then clean up the mess and return safely without the parents noticing. The series is known for its beautiful watercolor paintings, all of which are done by the author herself, as well as little to no dialogue.
Good Dog, Carl! provides examples of the following tropes:
- Amplified Animal Aptitude: In Carl Goes to Daycare, the teacher accidentally gets locked outside. Interspersed with her increasingly desperate attempts to get back in, Carl takes care of Madeline and the other kids quite well. Finally, the teacher holds up a sign at the window, "CARL, OPEN THE DOOR". Carl can read, because he does just that.
- Badly Battered Babysitter: Subverted. Not only does Carl take excellent care of Madeline, but he assists her from time to time, such as giving her a nudge down the laundry chute, fix food, or window shop to see Santa.
- Big Friendly Dog: Carl himself. He's very smart, and Madeline rides on his back like a pony. Unusually for this trope, he's a Rottweiler.
- Dog Stereotype: Averted. Carl's a Rottweiler, but he isn't vicious or mean at all.
- Gentle Giant: Guess who...
- Long-Runners: 25 years.
- Not the Fall That Kills You…: Carl pushes Madeline down a laundry chute as a makeshift slide and lands in a pile of clothes in the first book.
- Precious Puppies: A Rottweiler puppy accompanies the pair in Carl's Afternoon in the Park.
- Shout-Out: In Carl's Afternoon in the Park, Carl and Madeline pose for a group of outdoor painters. There are portraits of the two in the style of Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, and Marc Chagall.
- Recursive Canon: Several of the later books head in this direction. Carl's Sleepy Afternoon goes so far as to have Carl posing in front of a poster in a bookstore window advertising the "new Carl book."
- Smelly Skunk: A skunk almost sprays Carl and Madeline in Carl's Summer Vacation, but they escape in time.
- Your Costume Needs Work: Inverted on Carl's Masquerade. Carl and Madeline go to a masquerade ball without costumes. The doorkeeper thinks they're Beauty and the Beast and compliments their outfits.
