Not Snowed In: Carl's Snowy Afternoon by Alexandra Day

"We're going to the Pond Party with the Parkers. Amy will stay with you. There's a snack in your room."

And with that brief farewell, the parents are off for some pre-Yuletide merriment with their friends. As they walk down the snow-covered walkway, they admit to just a bit of concern:

"I hope that that new sitter is reliable."

"Well, Carl's there...."

And indeed that resourceful Rottweiler is on the job. Helping to bundle up his charge in snowsuit, boots, scarf, and cap, Carl and the girl steal downstairs and tiptoe past the television-absorbed teenaged sitter and, escaping quietly through the dog door, are soon outside enjoying the pre-Christmas scene.

There is plenty of do. Carl and the girl help a family finish their snow family and snow dog, and then make the rounds of the sledding hill and ice-skating pond, trying out each sport to their delight. Carl sneaks a couple of weiners from the local hot dog stand and the two relish their guilty pleasures while dodging their strolling parents who are heading for a cup of cocoa before returning home. That's Carl's cue to herd his charge toward home, but not before she commandeers a carrot from a snowman's nose to offer to a not-too-bashful bunny.

Back at the house, the two slip through the bedroom window, where Carl helps the girl skin out of her wet snowsuit and places it carefully in the hamper, so that when Mom returns and checks on the adventuresome two, they are sitting innocently on the floor playing with a toy rabbit. All unaware of their elicit outing, Mom cheerfully greets them, oblivious to the irony of her words:

"Did you have a nice time? Tomorrow you can go out and play in the snow."

Fans of Carl the reliable babysitter will have to have this latest in Alexandra Day's series, Carl's Snowy Afternoon (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2009), beautifully illustrated as always, and bound to bring a giggle from youngsters who envy those secret adventures with that adventurous and remarkable Rottweiler.